Repairing ‘replacement culture’: The right to repair gains ground

Monday, 25 November 2024

A growing number of companies are choosing to build long-lasting products and offer ongoing repairs to reduce consumer waste as regulation for repair standards gain political momentum.

A proposed star-rating label and mandatory product repairs are under Government review and broadly supported by zero-waste advocates while companies such as umbrella manufacturer Blunt and outdoor-wear brands Twin Needles and Cactus are creating products to avoid planned obsolescence.

In April, a member’s bill from Green Party co-leader Marama Davidson was selected from the ballot. The bill would amend the Consumer Guarantees Act, allowing for the independent repair of goods and making it mandatory for products to be repairable, including the supply of repair information, tools and parts. In late August, a 21,000-strong petition was delivered to Parliament, calling for the introduction of repairability labels on household appliances and electronic devices and supporting the member’s bill.

The petition was organised by Consumer NZ, which is proposing repairability labels that would work like water and energy star ratings found on all major appliances sold in Aotearoa. The label would indicate how easy a product is to repair before you buy it.

“People are frustrated the system is working against them and the planet to generate profits,” said Consumer NZ campaigns adviser Abby Damen.

Blunt founder Greig Brebner says the biggest impact Kiwi businesses can make is to create goods - and create an ecosystem for those goods - that ensure consumers can hold onto a product for their lifetime.

If the problem was tackled on the consumer end, “you're going to be battling it forever,” he said.

“We have to go deeper into what a product is and how it’s being manufactured …you can't put repair initiatives into a lot of products [on the market] because it just doesn't work.”

Long-lasting products

Blunt has a standard two-year warranty that can be extended to four years for its umbrellas, but Brebner said the company “always make sure repairs are affordable”, for example a $10 fee for a frame or canopy repair. “That pretty much refreshes the product for a new life.”

Blunt umbrellas are manufactured in China and repaired at the company workshop in Newmarket, with overseas workshops in Melbourne, London and Salt Lake City, Utah. “That's a start, but we know we need more satellite options,” Brebner said.

Paradoxically, Brebner said the more repairs Blunt provides, the more umbrellas fly off the shelf: “Manufacturing products that customers can trust has lifted demand and made the service and business sustainable.”

Apparel manufacturer Cactus Outdoor managing director Ben Kepes said the right to repair is significant for all Kiwis. The company’s ethos is to craft longevity into its products alongside the option to have pieces repaired, which Kepes said could be unworkable for businesses that don’t factor repairs into manufacturing.

He said the company’s Christchurch-based factory produces 80% of the company’s products and its repair shop was designed to reduce its environmental and social impact. “The best way to minimise those impacts is by making stuff that lasts a very long time and repairing it when it does go wrong.

Kepes pointed to international consumption trends like Black Friday that promote consumption to the detriment of sustainability. “We don't do Black Friday sales because we don't want to encourage consumption without necessity,” he said.

“Every consumer is inundated at the moment with promotions about what’s cheap and that behaviour goes against the very essence of this repair movement.”

Growing skills for a new generation

Part of the proposed legislation includes training and education for young people to enter the repair industry, a move supported by Ōtautahi business Twin Needles. Half of the company’s operations was focused on repairs while the other half manufactured apparel, according to owner Jonathan Reid.

“As domestic manufacturing in New Zealand has become smaller, there’s a very small number of people with domestic manufacturing capabilities. That means finding people that have the skills to manufacture or repair things is becoming more difficult,” Reid said, adding the average age of Twin Needles’ repair team is 55.

The company grew out of Aotearoa-founded apparel brand Macpac, which outsourced its manufacturing and repairing. In 2008, Macpac’s former repair team started Twin Needle as a repair business, but moved into manufacturing apparel to produce more sustainable local clothing.

“Repairability is part of our DNA,” Reid said.

The business hires four full-time repairers on top of a retail team and predicts business will remain strong as the drive for repairability grows.

“If we're focused on that from a consumer's perspective, then one thing we do need to think about is how do we support it from the workforce perspective,” Reid said.

Coalition questions

WasteMINZ chief executive Nic Quilty, who is a member of the Right to Repair Coalition, said training people to repair was critical, because it’s an essential part of the picture. “It's harder for Kiwis to hold on to products as it becomes increasingly difficult to find affordable repair services.”

Another party to the coalition is Para Kore, an organisation working with Māori communities on zero waste initiatives. Project leader Toni Kereama said introducing legislation to ensure consumers could get repairs would not address systemic issues, but would make them more attractive to switched-on consumers.

“Supply is driven by demand, so if businesses are promoting products that have spare parts available, the higher the likelihood that whānau might choose these products over others that do not offer the same repairability features,” she said.

“The effects of climate change are widespread, affecting Māori, culturally, socially, environmentally and economically. Supporting the Right to Repair movement is one way we can help contribute to slowing down these effects and, thus, will support improved outcomes for Māori.”

Legislating repairability

Consumer’s Damen says legislating product repairability was a crucial first step.

It's a form of control that benefits business more than customers,” Damen said, explaining the organisation’s push for labels about repairability would shift the responsibility for a product’s lifecycle back to the designers and manufacturers.

“Giving consumers the right and opportunity to repair their own things has the potential to develop a thriving second-hand market and circular economy where products are built to last and repair is not just an option, but the norm.”

Minister for Environment Penny Simmonds did not comment on the member’s bill or petition, saying the member’s bill was under review.

“This Government is committed to delivering improved outcomes for our environment. That is why we are extending the scope of the waste minimisation levy to help fund a more comprehensive set of waste and environmental priorities, including focusing on the most harmful waste,” Simmonds said in a statement.

“Meaningful change will be multifaceted and there is much to do. It’s vital that we all continue to play a role in finding solutions to our collective environmental challenges and make the most of the opportunities at hand.”