Still talking about potential… A decade ago, a research paper was published on repair and reuse in the UK.
Still talking about potential…
A decade ago, a research paper was published on repair and reuse in the UK. It looked at how much could be potentially be diverted from waste streams, how this could be achieved and what the impact would be on existing systems and operations. It set a positive tone. The potential for reuse and repair existed, the environmental case was strong and pointed to an obvious way to further circular economy ambitions. The question is: What’s happened since?
Last year SUEZ UK published a manifesto, highlighting the opportunity to generate more value – both in terms of revenue and materials. Like many other large waste companies, they’ve been instrumental in developing refurbishing hubs, separating out what can be reused from waste streams that would otherwise go to recycling. This is important because it shows a change to incorporate refurbishment into waste management as a service. A distinct change from thinking of reuse in terms of charity – which focuses on donations of second-hand clothing and refurbishing small appliances.
In many areas community initiatives aimed at repair have been successful, where people are invited to bring appliances that aren’t working and have them repaired. This is positive in that it’s helping to remove the stigma that second-hand is second rate, and it’s encouraging community participation. However, is the real economic opportunity that re-use represents still being missed?
Waste by design
For the past three decades there’s been a slow but constant shift away from repair. It may have been driven by profit seeking manufacturers, yet it succeeded in creating the general mindset that upgrades were essential and easier than repair, regardless of whether its appliances, electronics or furnishings or even clothing.
To a large degree waste systems have been designed around this too. Recycling efforts have largely been focused on materials that are easier to collect and separate. But even that has become a double-edged sword. Items perfectly suited for reuse, such as cardboard boxes, crates, or glass containers are sent to recycling instead of being reused. The reasons? It’s easier or more cost effective to do so.
This highlights that many systems are still designed for waste rather than a circular economy. Companies working to scale re-use and refurbishment face multiple challenges. They’re having to work hard to change mindsets as well as entrenched systems.
While in many districts Local Authorities promote reuse and repair through community depots, most of these efforts are localised and therefore fragmented. The real opportunity exists for partnerships between waste operators, manufacturers and even retailers. Some have started; however, the real momentum may only come about when policy or regulation make it compulsory. Unless there’s a different focus.
Broadening the skills development opportunity
In recent decades the number of people skilled in making any kind of repairs, has diminished significantly. 50 years ago, discarding a shirt because it had a tear was almost unthinkable. Nowadays people discard clothing that has even the slightest flaw. Repair is rarely a consideration.
Would this change if more people had the skills to repair items? The resource sector could play an important role in driving this. Community repair centres are great, however, they are often based on volunteers giving of their time and expertise freely. When repair skills can lead to employment and business opportunities, that’s when the impact broadens. Skills support the business models, drive awareness and help to change mindsets toward repair.
It’s already been seen that the demand for repair can influence policy change. The EU’s Right to repair legislation has recently come into effect. Now manufacturers are obligated to make repair possible. It’s a small first step in changing the approach of designing for obsolescence so that consumers have to purchase new.
When products are designed so that they’re easier to repair and extend their life span, it opens the opportunities for further skills development. Skilled people also contribute to how materials can be reused or how products can be redesigned as they become attuned to identifying what is difficult to repair or what fails most often.
This type of thinking has already influenced changes in how some tech appliances, construction methods, wind turbines, vehicles and solar panels, are designed, for example. Modular design, where repair can be done by replacing a single component rather than an entire unit is a growing trend.
Identifying skills and opportunities
Industry conversations suggest that repair and reuse are vital to moving closer to a circular economy. In this, being able to identify skills is vital. Practical repair ability is just one aspect of it. Insights into how repair could be made most cost effectively, what materials to use, and how to extend a products life span, show problem solving capabilities. You can read that a person is a problem solver on a CV. How do you assess the competency level of that skill?
It’s this question that drove us to develop specific skills-based assessments for roles in waste management, and why we believe previous experience isn’t always the best indicator of success potential. Each role is different. Each company is different. As a result, it’s a combination of skills, attitude and behaviour that determine a candidate’s success. Assessing each of these, in the context of the role, highlights a candidate’s core competencies, strengths and potential weaknesses.
As the resource sector develops it’s reuse and refurbishment capabilities, it’s going to need skilled people to support these efforts. Assessing skills is a great way to attract more people to the sector and make the most of the economic opportunity that reuse represents.