In honour of the Netherlands’ Week of the Circular Economy, this week Nederlandse Spoorwegen (NS) has opened the NS Upcycle Shop in Rotterdam, which sells various items made out of recycled materials from disused trains. 

Sustainability and the circular economy at NS

On the hunt for a gift for the resident train fanatic in your life? Well, NS is here to save the day - and right in time for Valentine’s Day! Between February 6 to 11, the Dutch rail company is running a shop based at Rotterdam Centraal, selling a wide range of collector items for the real NS fans out there.

If you can’t make it all the way to Rotterdam, don’t worry; items are also available to buy online via the NS website.

Pop-up NS Upcycle Shop open a Rotterdam Centraal

The pop-up NS Upcycle Shop stocks everything from notebooks and trainers to Bluetooth speakers, and the joy is that every single item sold in the store has been made out of upcycled materials from old trains. 

“At NS, we like to give materials a second life,” the rail operator says in a press release. “Something that has become superfluous, such as old upholstery from train fabric, can very well be used for a nice, sturdy and hip laptop bag, pencil cases or espadrilles. A 45-year-old train broadcast speaker gets a new destination as a Bluetooth home speaker.”

Thumb and image via NS.