At the beginning of the pandemic crisis in Europe, we wrote about how repair is essential to our society, more than ever in times of crisis. We’re happy to return to the topic, which is the theme of this year’s International Repair Day, on Saturday 17 October.
Repair is essential, especially when we rely even more than normal on our electric and electronic devices to keep working and to ensure our wellbeing. The role of independent repair businesses is particularly crucial.
They are less dependent on global supply chains than authorised repair centres, as they are good at reusing parts and performing component-level repairs.
But if we take a step back and look at the bigger picture, it’s crystal clear that repair and reuse are equally essential to reach our climate and sustainability ambitions, both at national and EU levels. And we hope that repair skills will be essential for many jobs of the future.
On this International #RepairDay, thousands of people around the world are celebrating repair during in-person and online events and showing the world that #RepairIsEssential. As a coalition fighting for the right to repair to become a reality in Europe, we’re joining too and launching a new initiative.
Heroes of Repair
Since we launched our campaign, we’ve heard a few times that repair and right to repair can seem fairly technical. Between policy discussions on the availability of spare parts and ease of disassembly, it’s true that it can come across as such.
But repair is way more than a technical issue, it’s also a human and environmental one!
So to celebrate #RepairDay, we wanted to highlight individuals across Europe who are making a significant contribution to repair in their communities.
We asked our members to nominate such inspiring people: from community volunteers to skilled technicians and activists. Now, we’re very happy to introduce you to our Heroes of Repair!
But far from being gifted with superpowers, they’re normal individuals working to make repair the norm for all the reasons they describe in the video.
Look around you, you might be surrounded by heroes of repair having a positive impact on their community. You could actually be one yourself!
So to spread the word and amplify their work, how about:
- Sharing this video with your network using the #HeroesOfRepair (and don’t forget #RepairDay if you’re sharing on 17 October!)
- Follow #HeroesOfRepair as our campaign members will release additional videos from all over Europe
- If you know a hero in your community, make a short video of him/her answering some of these questions and post it on social media using the #HeroesOfRepair
- If you are a professional repairer, an activist, an educator or involved in community repair, film yourself/or your organisation answering these questions and share your answers on social media!
- Join the movement for a universal Right to Repair