🔁 Reuse. Refill. Repair.

Three powerful actions that help protect our planet 🌍

By choosing to reuse what we have, refill instead of discard, and repair instead of replace, we reduce the demand for precious natural resources and move toward a smarter, more sustainable way of living.

🌱 Small habits, big impact. Let’s shift from wasteful to wise — together.

Reuse Platforms

Planet Reuse  | Reloop Platform | Living Landscape of Reusable Solutions database | Reuse portal by Upstream | Material Reuse Platform

Globechain is an online reuse platform in Europe, a so-called “free-cycle for corporates”. It allows companies and charities to claim unwanted items from the retail, commercial and construction sectors. Globechain can provide all the legislative information necessary for these transactions and, using a unique digital platform, creates a robust social impact waste audit trail.

List of digital platforms and physical hubs across the UK and Europe that facilitate the reuse of construction materials

Planned Obsolescence: Why things don’t last

🔧 What is Planned Obsolescence?

Planned obsolescence is a business strategy where products are intentionally designed to have a limited lifespan — meaning they will break down, become outdated, or lose functionality sooner than necessary, prompting consumers to replace them more often.

🔍 Types of Planned Obsolescence:

  1. Technical obsolescence
    Products are made with parts that wear out quickly or are difficult to repair (e.g., glued-in batteries, fragile components).
  2. Software obsolescence
    Devices no longer receive software updates, making them slower or incompatible with new apps and services.
  3. Stylistic obsolescence
    Frequent new models or styles make older versions seem less desirable — think fashion trends or smartphone design changes.
  4. Systemic obsolescence
    New accessories or updates are incompatible with older models (e.g., charging cables or headphones).

⚠️ Why it matters:

Planned obsolescence:

  • Increases waste (especially e-waste 📱♻️),
  • Encourages overconsumption,
  • Wastes natural resources, and
  • Makes repair and reuse more difficult or expensive.

💡 The alternative?

Support products and companies that promote:

  • Durability
  • Repairability
  • Modular design
  • Right to Repair laws
    …and choose reuse over replace whenever possible!

Repair and the Right to Repair

Repair Cafes – map

Free meeting places and they’re all about repairing things (together). In the place where a Repair Café is located, you’ll find tools and materials to help you make any repairs you need. On clothes, furniture, electrical appliances, bicycles, crockery, appliances, toys, et cetera. You’ll also find expert volunteers, with repair skills in all kinds of fields.

Visitors bring their broken items from home. Together with the specialists they start making their repairs in the Repair Café. It’s an ongoing learning process. If you have nothing to repair, you can enjoy a cup of tea or coffee. Or you can lend a hand with someone else’s repair job. You can also get inspired at the reading table – by leafing through books on repairs and DIY.

There are over 2,200 Repair Cafés worldwide. Visit one in your area or start one yourself! See also the house rules we use at the Repair Café. (source Repair Café).

USA – Repair Cafe USA is a network of independently held Repair Cafes across the United States. The goal of this site is to improve and grow our network of communication among all current – and future– Repair Cafes in the US. 

Reports

Legislation

Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation

New EU rules to reduce, reuse and recycle packaging

EU 2023 November New EU rules encouraging consumers to repair devices over replacing them link to press conference

France Network of repair shops including references of consumers

EU European Parliament briefing on Right to repair January 2022

EU The network of the Right to Repair campaign is made of organisations based in several European countries and representing civil society organisations, repair businesses, community repair initiatives and public institutions.

Canadian government Progress on C-272 43rd Parliament, 2nd session September 23, 2020, to August 15, 2021 – An Act to Amend the Copyright Act (diagnosis, maintenance or repair)

Australian government on Right to Repair

New Zealand WasteMINZ (the largest representative body of the waste, resource recovery and contaminated land management sectors in New Zealand) on Right to Repair

© International Waste Platform