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Cited by 26Sustainable Supply Chain ManagementRecycling and Waste Management TechniquesSustainable Design and Development

The Role of Independent Repair in a Circular and Regenerative Economy

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van der Velden, Maja, Maitre-Ekern, Eléonore, Wanja, Deborah Katland·2024·Circular Economy and Sustainability
DOI 10.1007/s43615-023-00304-y
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Abstract

Abstract The focus on the transition to a circular economy has contributed to a growing research interest in repair. This paper investigates the role of independent repair, which consists of individuals, organisations, or businesses engaged in the repair of products without formal authorisation of the brand owners of these products. Repair—and independent repair in particular—is critical in achieving a paradigm shift that is anchored in regenerative sustainability. Especially in the electrical and electronics equipment sector, independent repair is challenged by difficult or expensive access to spare parts and repair information. This paper focuses on the independent electronics repair sector in Oslo. We implemented twenty-five semi-structured interviews with repairers working in commercial independent repair shops, focusing on challenges and opportunities in independent repair. They repaired a wide variety of products: mobile phones, desktop computers, laptops, tablets, cameras, printers, e-mobility batteries, remote-controlled cars, drones, and white goods. The thematic analysis of the interviews revealed three main findings. The independent repair sector employs different business models and strategies to tackle the challenges related to accessing affordable and quality spare parts. Secondly, independent repair fills the gap between expensive authorised repair, mostly covered by warranty or insurance, and discarding a broken product. Thirdly, independent repair has contributed to a circular spare part economy, both locally and on a global level. In the discussion, we address how repair can be understood as a regenerative practice, as well as how policy and regulation of repair, both on an EU and national level, supports or undermines independent repair.

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  • Common barriers to circular business models include consumers' reluctance to use technologically dated products and original equipment manufacturers' uncertainty about revenue and profit in increasingly dematerialised value chains.

    “Common barriers include consumers' reluctance to use technologically dated products and OEMs' uncertainty about revenue and profit in increasingly dematerialised value chains (Tunn et al. 2020;van der Velden et al. 2023).”

    From Integrating Life Cycle Assessment, Monetised Externalities and Value Alignment for Strategic Reconfiguration of Circular Business Models: The Case of Smartphones (2026) · cites this paper as van der Velden et al. 2023

    The Regulating Repair section (page unavailable) identifies consumer attitudes and preferences as barriers to repair-based business models. It does not say consumers are reluctant to use technologically dated products, and the passages on business models and conclusions do not describe OEM uncertainty about revenue or profit in dematerialised value chains. (LLM, conf=0.78)

    Experimental — accuracy not yet measured

  • If circular business models supported by extensive repair ecosystems are perceived as economically burdensome or offering insufficient financial advantage over shorter-lived linear alternatives, their uptake will remain limited despite environmental or strategic circular economy alignment.

    “Should CBMs supported by extensive repair ecosystems be perceived as economically burdensome or offering insufficient financial advantage over shorter-lived linear alternatives, their uptake will remain limited despite environmental or strategic CE alignment (Ylä-Mella et al. 2022;van der Velden et al. 2023).”

    From Integrating Life Cycle Assessment, Monetised Externalities and Value Alignment for Strategic Reconfiguration of Circular Business Models: The Case of Smartphones (2026) · cites this paper as van der Velden et al. 2023

    The Regulating Repair section says repair can cost more than replacement, making consumers unlikely to pursue it, and identifies affordability as a barrier to repair-based business models. That supports the economic-barrier point, but the paper does not establish the broader claim about uptake of circular business models supported by extensive repair ecosystems, or assess whether strategic circular-economy alignment offsets that barrier. No page number is available in our copy. (LLM, conf=0.86)

    Experimental — accuracy not yet measured

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Cited by

Sorted by citations

Authors
van der Velden, M., Maitre-Ekern, E., & Wanja, D. K.
Affiliations
University of Oslo (NO)
ORCID
van der Velden, Maja
Venue
Circular Economy and Sustainability
Publisher
Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Published
2023-10-04
Volume
4
Issue
4
Pages
2981-3006
ISSN
  • 2730-597X (ISSN-L)
  • 2730-5988
DOI
10.1007/s43615-023-00304-y
OpenAlex
W4387339385
Cited by
26
References
2
Citations by year
2026: 11 · 2025: 10 · 2024: 5
FWCI
5.61
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Licence
Locations
  • Circular Economy and Sustainability (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • RePEc: Research Papers in Economics (submittedVersion)
  • NORA - Norwegian Open Research Archives (submittedVersion, cc-by)
Funders
  • Universitetet i Oslo
  • University of Oslo
Topics
  • Social Sciences › Business, Management and Accounting › Strategy and Management › Sustainable Supply Chain Management
  • Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Waste Management and Disposal › Recycling and Waste Management Techniques
  • Physical Sciences › Engineering › Building and Construction › Sustainable Design and Development
Keywords
circular economy, regenerative economy, spare parts, electronics repair, repair shops, product durability, Oslo

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