Repair cafés are taking off across Europe, spurred by a pioneering new EU law! The “Right to Repair” directive, part of the EU Green Deal, passed in April 2024 and will come into full effect in April 2026. It requires many appliance manufacturers to offer spare parts and tools for repairs at reasonable prices (as opposed to deliberate “planned failure” incentivizing new purchases), and among other safeguards it also prohibits all-too-common competition-quashing efforts to block third-party repairs via software lock-outs.
Notably, the European Commission estimates that discarding repair-able products generates 35 million tonnes of waste per year and about 8% of EU greenhouse gas emissions.
And in addition to the EU-wide directive, many other jurisdictions are stepping up to support and fund right-to-repair work. From re-soldering batteries to 3D-printing new parts, repair café activities are now being incentivized by local governments from Paris to Vienna, forging community and resilience while building a circular economy.
Credits: Climate Action Now
Read more: https://www.repaircafe.org/fr/leurope-a-desormais-le-droit-a-la-reparation/
and https://e360.yale.edu/features/europe-repair-cafes