Products must be durable, easy and affordable to repair, and information on these aspects must be clearly available to consumers. This will help the environment, the economy ánd society as a whole. That’s what 7 mostly European organisations, among which the Repair Café Foundation, write in a joint mission statement.
If products last longer and are better repairable, their early replacement by new products can be avoided. This way, the depletion of natural resources is reduced. Apart from this, value is maintained, since finished products have more economic value than the raw materials inside them.
New, green jobs
If repair and maintenance services become cheaper, new, green jobs can be created. All this will stimulate a more sustainable consumption pattern and will lead society as a whole towards a circular economy.
In the mission statement the authors make eight concrete suggestions for how the issue can be addressed at European level. For instance, they state that products should have a minimum life time and must be designed in such a way, that non-destructive disassembly into individual parts and components is ensured. Spare parts must be widely available for a minimum number of years following the last product batch, and taxes on repair service activities must be lowered.
The authors of the mission statement, apart from the Repair Café Foundation, are:
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Brussels
To promote the mission statement, the authors will, among others, organise a meeting in Brussels during the European Sustainability Development Week. More information soon!
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