The new European right to repair, which entered into force August 1st, marks an important step towards a repair economy. By improving access to repair and strengthening the position of consumers, the new rules create momentum for longer-lasting products. However, making repair the easy and attractive choice requires more than legislation alone. The research programme Tackling Fixophobia investigates the behavioural, technological, business and legal barriers that currently limit the adoption of repair.

A major step towards extending product lifetimes

The new European right to repair is an important step in creating the conditions needed for this transition. Manufacturers will be required to provide more information about repair possibilities, ensure the availability of spare parts for longer periods and make repair more accessible after the warranty period. It also increases awareness that broken products do not always need to be replaced.

For repair to become mainstream, however, the next challenge is to ensure that consumers and organisations actually choose and enable repair in practice.

From the right to repair to the ability and willingness to repair

Although the new legislation removes important barriers, many consumers still experience repair as uncertain, inconvenient or expensive.

As Ruth Mugge, Professor of Design for Sustainable Consumer Behaviour at Delft University of Technology and researcher within Tackling Fixophobia, explains in an interview with NU.nl: “Many consumers have become accustomed to replacing products rather than repairing them. Repair often requires more effort and involves uncertainty: consumers may not know where to go, what is wrong with their product, or what the repair will cost.”

The new legislation can help shift this perception by making repair more visible and accessible. But making repair a normal choice also requires solutions that build trust, reduce uncertainty and improve the overall repair experience.

The automotive sector offers a source of inspiration. Regular maintenance and repair are widely accepted as a normal part of owning a car. Mugge suggests that consumer electronics could learn from this approach, for example by introducing a form of periodic check-up for smartphones, where ageing or defective components could be identified and replaced before a device is discarded. France offers another example: consumers can use repair vouchers to receive a discount on repair services.

Understanding and overcoming fixophobia

The concept of fixophobia captures the reluctance of both consumers and value chain actors to engage in repair practices.

Chris Stretton, researcher at Maastricht University and researcher within Tackling Fixophobia, explains in an interview with Trouw that this reluctance is not only a consumer issue. “Decades of linear business models have shaped how products are designed, sold and used. As a result, companies, repair organisations and consumers all face barriers when moving towards a repair-based system.”

Overcoming fixophobia therefore requires a systemic approach: creating an environment in which repair is not only possible, but also affordable, trusted and attractive. As Stretton states: “We need to move towards a scenario where everyone involved with a product thinks about its entire lifetime, not just the point and moment of sale.”

This is exactly what the NWO KIC research programme Tackling Fixophobia aims to support. Rather than focusing on a single intervention, the programme investigates how behavioural insights, technology, business innovation and policy can work together to make repair the preferred option.

Research within the programme already points to promising directions. Yichen Jin (TU Delft) investigates how technology can support consumers in their repair practices. Her research shows that well-designed AI support can guide consumers through the repair process and increase their willingness to repair. By reducing uncertainty and providing tailored guidance, digital tools can help make repair feel more accessible and achievable.

The programme also explores how policy can best support the transition. Recent research into tax and legal frameworks suggests that while measures such as reducing VAT on repair labour can contribute to making repair more attractive, other policy interventions may have an even greater impact in encouraging repair practices.

By bringing these perspectives together, the programme aims to develop the knowledge and practical tools needed to support a future in which products stay in use longer and repair becomes a natural part of everyday life.

The new European right to repair is an important milestone. The next step is to create the systems, services and behaviours that allow repair to truly become the norm.