Creating a repair society to advance the Circular Economy – policies, networks and people

The overall aim of this project is to enable a Swedish leadership in a circular society, via repair, by amassing global knowledge and approaches for the optimization of repair systems, and then applying the findings to Swedish conditions. From these insights, the development and extension of Repair Society best practices and approaches for other jurisdictions is possible. Within the project, four case studies will focus on relevant product sectors of electronics and appliances: both relatively high-value product segments, with a tradition of independent and OEM-provided repair services.

E-waste is one of the fastest growing waste streams globally. While Sweden is known as a frontrunner in recycling of e-waste, there is little known about the state of repair of these products and how to better climb the waste hierarchy by enabling repair before recycling. In this project, we research best practices in enabling repair of electronics and appliances, as well as remaining challenge, to suggest ways of moving towards a Repair Society in Sweden, as part of broader Circular Economy and Climate goals.