The browser you are using is not supported by this website. All versions of Internet Explorer are no longer supported, either by us or Microsoft (read more here: https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-365/windows/end-of-ie-support).

Please use a modern browser to fully experience our website, such as the newest versions of Edge, Chrome, Firefox or Safari etc.

Jessika Richter

Jessika Richter

Associate senior lecturer

Jessika Richter

Product repair in a circular economy: Exploring public repair behavior from a systems perspective

Author

  • Keshav Parajuly
  • James Green
  • Jessika Luth Richter
  • Michael Johnson
  • Jana Rueckshloss
  • Ruediger Kuehr
  • Colin Fitzpatrick

Summary, in English

Repair practices are driven not only by consumers’ internal motivation, but also by external infrastructural, social including cultural, financial, and political factors. We explore these factors with the goal of understanding the public repair of electrical and electronic products (e-products) from a systems perspective to help devise appropriate change interventions. We document (a) behavioral aspects, (b) techno-economic factors, and (c) intervention strategies aimed at promoting repair practices. To gauge this, a survey was administered among 922 volunteers across 14 countries with experience in repairing e-products at public repair events. Findings suggest that while behavioral constructs including personal values, beliefs, and attitudes toward product repair are the main proximal drivers of intention to repair, the ability to repair plays an important role. Further, these individual factors are influenced by the techno-economic settings such as access to repair services, economic benefits, and the ease of product repair stands out as the key enablers for product lifetime extension. As per intervention strategies, the results highlight economic incentives, regulatory requirements, and public awareness as the key drivers. However, influencing repair behavior directly may not always be the most effective strategy. New initiatives to improve involvement should focus on more repairable products, exploiting the innovative potentials of commercial as well as non-profit repair initiatives, education, and supporting the development of skills among volunteer repairers.

Department/s

  • The International Institute for Industrial Environmental Economics
  • LTH Profile Area: Circular Building Sector

Publishing year

2023

Language

English

Publication/Series

Journal of Industrial Ecology

Document type

Journal article

Publisher

MIT Press

Topic

  • Social Sciences Interdisciplinary

Keywords

  • Circular Economy
  • repair
  • electronics

Status

Epub

Project

  • Mapping out and overcoming barriers for circular products: the policy context for corporations that want to “go circular”
  • Creating a repair society to advance the Circular Economy – policies, networks and people

ISBN/ISSN/Other

  • ISSN: 1530-9290