On September 10, 2024, the official kick-off of Tackling Fixophobia took place at the Faculty of Industrial Design Engineering at TU Delft. This ambitious research project, funded by NWO KIC, brings together a consortium of five knowledge institutes and sixteen companies and organizations to tackle the barriers to repairing consumer electronics.

Addressing the Barriers to Repair

Consumer electronics provide important benefits but are replaced far too quickly, often due to minor defects that could be repaired. However, a combination of economic, psychological, and structural barriers discourages repair. This phenomenon, referred to as Fixophobia, results in premature obsolescence and increasing e-waste. Tackling Fixophobia aims to change this by boosting consumer trust, acceptance, and behavior towards repair through innovative strategies in marketing, service, product design, circular business models, and legal frameworks.

A Multi-Disciplinary Approach

During the kick-off event, key themes were discussed by leading experts:

• Marketing and service – How can repair be positioned as an attractive option? (Ilona E. de Hooge, Wageningen University & Research)
• Product design – How can products be designed for easy repair? (Ruth Mugge, TU Delft)
• Business models – What revenue models support a circular economy? (Nancy Bocken, Maastricht University)
• Law and taxation – What is the impact of legal and fiscal aspects on repairability? (Madeleine Merkx, Erasmus University Rotterdam)

These discussions set the foundation for collaborative research and development efforts. By integrating insights from different disciplines, the project aims to create tangible solutions that encourage repair practices and extend the lifespan of consumer electronics.

By overcoming Fixophobia, this project supports the shift from a linear to a circular economy—one where products are used longer, waste is minimized, and resources are preserved. We can transition to a repair economy and extend product lifetimes if we design an environment to do so.

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