Do you ever consider repairing an item, or do you tend to take the “easy” option of buying something new? “If we want a repair culture in Ireland, it has to be able to compete with new purchasing.”
This is according to the programme manager of the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Circular Economy Programme, Warren Phelan, who spoke to Agriland about the circular economy.
There is an ecosystem of reuse and repair manufacturers, which accept furniture, clothes or electronics, that exists around the country in towns, villages and cities, he said.
However, describing this ecosystem as “delicate”, Phelan said that there are lots of businesses out there, but they are struggling as they try to compete against mainstream shops.
These repair businesses, such as typical cobblers, are usually small and often family run from generation to generation, the circular economy programme manager told Agriland.
Having engaged with businesses, he said that “they will tell you how difficult it is for them to survive and there’s not necessarily a whole new generation coming into that”.
Circular economy
Currently, Ireland is stuck in a linear economy where increasing material consumption leads to a corresponding increase in waste generation that exceeds the level of recycling.
A linear approach follows the “traditional way” of extracting resources, manufacturing them into products and goods, distributing them, using and, at last, disposing them, he said.
While this approach has been the basis of industry and capitalism, he said that we now want to increase material durability and either repair, reuse or recycle once a product reaches its end of life.
The EPA’s programme focuses on doing more with existing resources to support the transition to a circular economy. However, it’s not just individual change, it’s a system change, he said.
Waste generation
A total of 17.6 million tonnes of waste was generated in Ireland in 2021, which equates to 3.5t per person per year, or 9.6kg of waste per person per day, according to the EPA.
Ireland currently has the third lowest share of recycled waste or secondary materials used in the economy in Europe at 2%, compared to the EU average of 12%, the EPA said.
The EPA’s recently published Circular Economy and Waste Statistics Highlights Report 2021 states that Ireland has a reuse rate of 10.6kg per person per year.
In 2021 approximately 54,800t of second-hand products were reused in Ireland. Textiles account for 73% of all second-hand purchases, with around 11.4 million clothing items reused.
Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) accounted for the most reuse per weight at 16,800t, including small consumer electronic devices, PC equipment and home appliances.
The vast majority of people in Ireland (89%) believe manufacturers are most responsible for making the repairing of products easier, a 2022 national behaviours survey by the EPA found.
Durability is perceived to be in decline, however, awareness of repair services is low. Over 60% of people have used a professional service to repair an item.
Under new EU legislation coming into effect in 2025 producers will have to increase item durability and offer access to repair, which will support consumers in putting the option of repair first.
“The easier that we can make the system for people, make the structure easy, the better chance we have of everyone starting to move in the right direction,” Phelan said.
Repair culture
A behavioural survey of households by the EPA has shown that consumers would like to repair, however, repair is more expensive. It has to be understood why this is the case, Phelan said.
Although most consumers might want to do the “right” thing, if it’s easier and cheaper to buy something new than getting something repaired, he said the “easier” solution is presented to them.
Phelan said that if we want a repair culture in Ireland, it has to be able to compete with new purchasing, for example, through government schemes to incentivise repair.
“We need to start to see repair coming more through things like your public spaces, things like a community hall, a library, repair cafes – the idea of repair workshops in a public space.
“There has been issues around insurance and insurance being a barrier to hosting these cafes. So, they’re one of the barriers that may be preventing these kind of pop-up cafes.
“We have to look at those barriers and remove them,” he said adding that if people see them happening in their community, it raises the awareness and it gets people thinking.
Phelan also stressed the importance of showing children, the next generation, how things can be fixed at home, and that it’s not just about getting rid of items and buying something new.
Based on a behavioural survey on textile by the EPA, he said that purchasing is almost like a “habit” and online shopping is something that “people do now as people go for walks”.
Self-repair is not common but the majority of people would like to acquire new repair skills. The survey also found that over 60% of people are interested in attending a repair cafe.
Just under 70% of people sew or stitch to repair clothes. Almost 40% are aware of take-back schemes, but only 5% have used it, with the environment being the top influencing factor.
EPA circular economy solutions
The EPA hosts an annual Circular Economy Conference, which features a session dedicated to local circular solutions to provide a platform for reuse and repair businesses.
The conference provides a platform for businesses to air the issues they are facing, and to try and progress how these barriers can be removed and the ecosystem can be supported, he said.
While the focus often is on the environment, Phelan said that the circular economy is also about enterprise and the labour market and thus a collective response, across government, is needed.
“A lot of people say, ‘Oh, circular economy, yeah, that’s about recycling and reuse’. It’s actually as much about new businesses and it’s about new enterprise.
“It’s new ways of new business models and [it’s] really important that we don’t lose that thinking that this is an economic solution, as much as an environmental solution,” he said.