I hold off on replacing things for as long as I can because I want to keep resources in circulation. The World Economic Forum says that to obtain the 62 metals and metalloids to produce a one smartphone, 34kg of ore needs to be mined, using 100 litres of water and 20.5g of cyanide. Research has shown that extending the lifespan of smartphones and other electronics by just one year would save the EU as much carbon emissions as taking two million cars off the roads annually.
This article should come with a warning - because once you know stats like that, it makes you a reluctant shopper. So I was really stoked that our IT person at Wastebusters suggested replacing my phone with a refurbished phone. Wastebusters has now bought multiple refurbished phones from the Auckland-based company Good Tech (www.goodtech.co.nz), and it’s great to support a company which is making it easier to buy quality second-hand phones with the security of a 12-month guarantee.
I’m not alone in wanting things to last, which means repair is becoming fashionable again. A 2020/2021 Consumer NZ survey of 5000 New Zealanders found 76% of participants would rather get products repaired than throw them out and buy a new one. There are ‘‘Right to Repair’’ movements growing around the world, which are having a major impact on how companies design and support their products, including making parts available.
This week, the European Union agreed a law requiring a universal charger for all smartphones and portable devices like tablets, earbuds, digital cameras, head phones and speakers. Eventually laptops will have to be chargeable by the same USB-C charger. Consumers will also have the choice of whether (or not) to buy a charger with a new device. Imagine that — one charger for everything! Our house is a nest of cords, but for some reason, it’s never the charger you want.
Consumers will save money, and the planet will save resources. The European Parliament estimates that the new rules will save consumers around $NZ412 million per year that they currently spend on unnecessary chargers. That’s a lot of money to add to the nest of cords in each house. It will also reduce e-waste by about 11,000 tonnes annually.
On the one hand it’s great - wow, a universal charger! But on the other hand, how depressing it took 20 years to do something which makes so much basic sense. It demonstrates how important it is to design for people and the planet, rather than for a company to maximise their profits.
How can we make that happen? Well, it would make sense to agree some ‘‘people and planet’’ rules for the production ‘‘game’’, before we set companies free to play it. Product stewardship is one rule which our Government is in the process of introducing for six priority products. That will see companies taking responsibility for the end-of-life of their products and more circularity in their resource use. Right to Repair legislation would be another important step towards better design and longer-lasting products.
Environment Minister David Parker has said that he is very interested in the ‘‘Right to Repair’’ movement and that the Government will be considering it as part of their current review of waste legislation. Last year, he told the story of not being able to access parts and repair when attempting to fix a broken fridge. He gave up on repair only after ‘‘five weeks of running a chilly bin in the fridge’’. His family sounds equally as understanding as my family!
If you would like to encourage the Minister to support repair, including passing a Right to Repair law as other countries have done, a petition is currently being circulated by Repair Cafe Aotearoa New Zealand (RCANZ). You can find it from the Wastebusters website. But it’s not all up to politicians, we can do a lot as individuals too.
There are now more than 40 Repair Cafes all over the country, supported by RCANZ, which bring together volunteers with people who need things fixed. Wastebusters has been running repair events in Wanaka, Queenstown, Cromwell and Alexandra, as part of our Repair Revolution campaign.
One thing that surprised us was how easy it was to find volunteer fixers, and how much skill and enthusiasm for repair there is in our small communities. There’s nothing more satisfying than seeing a well-loved item returned to use, whether it’s a soft toy with an eye patch or a jacket with a zip that works.
Each year at Wastebusters, we get literally hundreds of ski jackets, ski pants and winter coats dropped off to us, which we send back out to our community for reuse through our big May ski sale and during the following winter months. Sadly, in the past, we didn’t have a reuse option for any items with broken zips, which led to many of them ending up in landfill.
However the Repair Revolution has changed that, by introducing us to the fabulous Stitch n Time professional repairer Kate, who volunteered at every repair event across the district. With her help, we have been trialling the repair of donated items with broken zips so we can sell them for reuse.
The trial has been hugely successful and we will continue it this winter. We’re even more excited to combine it with a zipper-repair event for our customers to make it easier and more affordable for them to fix clothing from home. Roll on the Repair Revolution.
• Repairing things is so satisfying
• Repair can save you money
• It keeps resources in use
• Repair minimises climate impact
• And reduces waste to landfill
• You can meet inspiring people
• Repair encourages better design
• It’s our right as consumers
• You can keep using the things you love
• It’s part of the circular economy
Repair it
• Wastebusters Zipper repair days (funded by QLDC waste minimisation) Tuesday, June 21 and Saturday, June 25, 10am-4pm.
• Kate from Stitch n Time and Claire from Fabricate will be doing simple zipper and patch repairs in the Wastebusters Wanaka shop. Bring your winter jackets/pants with broken zips or rips. There will be a part-charge depending on the repair.
• Want to see more repair in your community? Wastebusters has written a ‘‘how to’’ guide to support volunteer-based repair events. It’s free to all, on the Wastebusters website or email sophie@wastebusters.co.nz.
