On Tuesday April 30th 2019, Sant’Egidio and the Kringwinkel Antwerpen signed a cooperation agreement in the presence of Flemish Minister for Environment and Nature Koen Van Den Heuvel. This collaboration focuses on the storage and distribution of second-hand goods. The second-hand store Laudato Si’ will from now on be open four days a week.
After the signing, the minister was given a tour of Laudato Si' and interacted with the people working there. In the house of Sant’Egidio on the periphery of Linkeroever, he also visited the School of Peace.
In September 2018, Sant’Egidio started the second-hand store Laudato Si’ in the periphery of Antwerp (Linkeroever): Laudato Si’ strives for social employment and integration of people from disadvantaged groups who find it difficult to make the transition to the regular labor market with an additional focus on sustainability and community building. The initiative contributes to the development of a circular, less polluting economy.
The name "Laudato Si" refers to the Canticle of the Sun of St. Francis and the eponymous socio-ecological encyclical letter of Pope Francis.
