REPper: changing perspectives on repair

To get to a culture where repair is the default we need a change in perspective from business, policy makers and consumers. 

Euroconsumers members OCU, Altroconsumo and DECOPROteste are active members of the REPper (Repair Perspective) a collaborative initiative launched in 2023 with 10 partners across eight countries (Albania, Bosnia-Herzegovina, France, Greece, Italy, Portugal, Slovenia and Spain) all working together to shift mindsets and make the sensible idea of repair into a practical reality. 

Launched in 2023, our members have been delivering hands-on support and collective learning to make repair a more accessible, valued and everyday part of sustainable living.

Here’s a brief look at the huge range of tools and developments our members have developed through the REPper project:

Online repair hubs: Altroconsumo, OCU and DECOPROteste all host online repair hubs with a wealth of information on all aspects of repair. 

• https://www.impegnatiacambiare.org/riparare 
• https://www.ocu.org/repara 
• https://www.deco.proteste.pt/reparacoes

There are sections dedicated to products which consumers commonly report as breaking down too soon: printers, laptops, smartphones, washing machines, refrigerators, vacuum cleaners. Here, there are articles on maintenance, repairs, and usage tips and specific advice on dealing with the most common faults and on warranties. 

Consumers can also find more general information on how to donate or recycle products, premature obsolescence, refurbished products, smart TVs, air conditioners, dishwashers, universal chargers, dryers and the right to repair.

Nudge for repair: Altroconsumo is also developing a ‘nudge’ as part of the consumer journey on the online repair hubs. The idea is to nudge people away from buying a new product by encouraging them to try out a repair first. Each of the product categories (printers, laptops, smartphones, washing machines, refrigerators, vacuum cleaners) will use data from a Life Cycle Analysis (LCA) to create an engaging, visual comparison of the amount of CO2 equivalent emissions saved if they chose repair over a new replacement, and the impact that would have.

System change: our members are also working with decision-makers across the whole product system to build joined-up solutions pair to boost the transition to a more circular, less wasteful patterns of consumption. 

OCU, Altroconsumo and DECOPROteste have held roundtables and focus groups with brands like Samsung and IKEA, trade associations including APPLIA, repairers such as WeFix and the Restart Project, and public authorities. Coming together in this way, they have identified barriers, opportunities and solutions for how together could foster a more vibrant repair sector including: 

• • Clearer VAT rules for spare parts and repair services could encourage more uptake
• • An end to the ‘upgrade’ mentality particularly with smartphones and tech made replacement over repair more attractive
• • Implementing regional repair hubs to overcome the challenge of the shortage of qualified repair technicians outside of urban areas  
• • More investment in specialised, technical repair skills and markers of trust to reassure consumers
• • Openness and transparency with consumers about repair costs and product durability 
• • Responsible innovation from market players, backed up by incentives to make circularity key to business efficiency
• • Public policy that promotes repair from the product design phase, so it’s the default option for all consumers.

Repair-ability Game: Altroconsumo got hands-on with a game at this year’s CSR and Innovation Fair in Milan, the idea of the game was to build a tower made up of all the building blocks that could  overcome premature obsolescence – the winners reached the “Repairability” circle at the top of the totem pole.

Repair skills / Green economy skills training kit: our members have also created a training kit for to promote awareness of repairability and how reparability skills can link into future green jobs as circular economy practices embed in Europe.  The material in the kit is being adapted for different target groups in different countries, for example, secondary schools in Italy. 

Repair Training Pilots: More training kits are being tested out by Euroconsumers members in Spain, Italy and Portugal to find the best way to equip target groups like citizens, consumers, young people entering the labor market with knowledge on the repair economy and circular approaches. The tailored training for consumers will give them skills and knowledge about: product guarantees and how to claim their right to repair; how to find and use repair cafes and repair shops; how to understand and make use of energy and ecodesign labelling and digital product passports and what job opportunities are developing in the repair sector. 

Repair Festival 2025: Small repairs equal big change

On 18th October, Euroconsumers members also teamed up with fellow repair advocates at the Repair Festival to celebrate the transformative power of repair.

The Repair Festival in Thessaloniki aims to encourage people to repair as much as they can and to be proud of their contribution to a more sustainable, low-waste future. 

There were practical activities for all ages, discussions and group sessions to empower people with repair skills, inspiring them to take an active role in building a new repair culture that can reduce carbon emissions and what they spend on replacements:

Even a small repair that prevents a product being thrown away can make a huge impact on a big problem: the roughly 35 million tonnes of waste generated each year from consumer goods discarded before reaching the end of their useful life — adding up to 261 million tonnes of CO₂-equivalent emissions.

On paper, repair should be the obvious choice, but it needs a meaningful shift in consumer mindset and habits. And, for repair to become a new, normal reflex, it must also be financially viable and easily accessible.  

The REPper project and events like the Repair Festival are part of the shift – keep track of how change is happening at: https://repper.interreg-euro-med.eu