Repair Cafés as Circular Economy Enablers
Exploring Participants Practices through Social Practice Theory
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.54337/plate2025-10423Keywords:
Repair Cafés, Volunteering, Social Practice Theory, Community RepairAbstract
In this paper, we study the repair practices in Danish repair cafés, to understand how repair activities initiated by civil society are organized and sustained within broader social and material contexts. By applying Social Practice Theory, the analysis dissects the interconnected elements of materials, competencies, and meanings that constitute and shape the ongoing practice of repair in Danish Repair cafés. The repair practices form part of "bundles" of interconnected practices within the repair cafes. The study demonstrates that repair cafés are more than spaces for fixing broken items; they hold broader societal and cultural aspects. Through the interconnectedness of repair, learning, and community-building practices, these cafés challenge the "throwaway culture" and foster a collective commitment to sustainability that potentially could have implications far beyond their immediate settings.
References
Forti, V., Baldé, C. P., Kuehr, R., & Bel, G. (2020). The Global E-waste Monitor 2020: Quantities, flows, and the circular economy potential. United Nations University (UNU), United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR) & International Telecommunication Union (ITU), and International Solid Waste Association (ISWA). https://www.itu.int/en/ITU-D/Climate-Change/Documents/GEM_2020_def.pdf
Hennies, L., & Stamminger, R. (2016). An empirical survey on the obsolescence of appliances in German households. Resources, Conservation and Recycling, 112, 73–82. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.resconrec.2016.04.013
Hjorth Nielsen, A. S. A., & Laursen, L. N. (2023). Love at first sight: Immediate emotional attachment of volunteers in repair cafés. Paper presented at the 5th PLATE Conference, Espoo, Finland, 31 May–2 June 2023. Retrieved from https://www.researchgate.net/publication/371327675
Jaeger-Erben, M., Rückert-John, J., & Schäfer, M. (2021). Why do users (not) repair their devices? A study of the predictors of repair practices in Germany. Journal of Cleaner Production, 286, 125468. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2020.125468
Lee, J., & Wakefield-Rann, R. (2021). Conspicuous and inconspicuous repair: Reconceptualising repair practices in a sustainability context. Journal of Cleaner Production, 280, 124291. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2020.124291
Madon, J. (2022). Free repair against the consumer society: How repair cafés socialize people to a new relationship to objects. Journal of Consumer Culture, 22(2), 534–550. https://doi.org/10.1177/1469540521990871
Markussen, T., Petersen, S. B., & Kronby, H. society: (2021). Moving Towards Individualized Work Models. Aalborg Universitet.
McCollough, J. (2020). The impact of consumers' time constraint and conspicuous consumption behaviour on the throwaway society. International Journal of Consumer Studies, 44, 33–43. https://doi.org/10.1111/ijcs.12545
McQueen, R. H., Jain, A., McNeill, L. S., & Kozlowski, A. (2022a). The role of resources in repair practice: Engagement with self, paid, and unpaid clothing repair by young consumers. Textile Research Journal. https://doi.org/10.1177/00405175221123067
McQueen, R. H., McNeill, L. S., Huang, Q., & Potdar, B. (2022b). Unpicking the gender gap: Examining socio-demographic factors and repair resources in clothing repair practice. Recycling, 7(4), 53. https://doi.org/10.3390/recycling7040053
Meißner, M. (2021). Repair is care? Dimensions of care within collaborative practices in repair cafés. Journal of Cleaner Production, 299, 126913. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2021.126913
Moalem, R. M., & Mosgaard, M. A. (2021). A critical review of the role of repair cafés in a sustainable circular transition. Sustainability, 13(22), 12351. https://doi.org/10.3390/su132212351
Repair Cafe Danmark. (2022, October 3). Historie – Repair Cafe Danmark. https://repaircafedanmark.dk/om/historie/
Shove, E., Pantzar, M., & Watson, M. (2012). The dynamics of social practice: Everyday life and how it changes. SAGE Publications. https://doi.org/10.4135/9781446250655
