The problem at hand is the dominance of a throwaway culture rooted in a linear take-make-consume-throw economic model, particularly evident in the electronics sector. Driven by consumerist business strategies, many manufacturers design devices with short lifespans, limited repairability, and frequent incremental upgrades, encouraging constant replacement rather than long-term use. This approach has made electronic waste one of the fastest-growing waste streams globally: in 2022 alone, 62 million tonnes of e-waste were generated globally, including 5 million tonnes in the EU. While recycling is often presented as a solution, it does not address the core issue. Most environmental harm occurs during manufacturing, where continuous extraction of raw materials creates serious ecological and social impacts. Policies focused narrowly on recycling targets, and penalties have also failed to ensure real corporate accountability. 
 

Research and advocacy by the European Right to Repair Campaign have highlighted a range of systemic barriers that prevent repair. These include limited or overpriced access to spare parts, a lack of repair manuals and specialised tools, and product designs that actively prevent disassembly. Such obstacles are not accidental but are embedded in a broader economic logic that prioritizes sales of new products over product longevity. Planned obsolescence, where products are intentionally designed to fail or become obsolete, remains a defining feature of this system. The latter has been identified as a critical concern by the European Parliament, which has called for measures to address it. Against this backdrop, the focus on repair represents both a practical and cultural shift. 

Through his initiatives, Ugo Vallauri has delivered tangible environmental, social, and policy impacts that demonstrate repair as a scalable alternative to the throwaway economy. His work has helped mobilise a vast grassroots repair ecosystem across Europe and beyond, with more than 650 volunteer groups engaged through community-led Restart Parties. These free repair events have not only repaired devices but reshaped mindsets around consumption, collectively saving over 3,500 tonnes of CO₂ emissions and diverting more than 405 tonnes of waste from landfill. By building one of the largest international networks of people skilled in electronics repair, Ugo has transformed repair from an individual act into a shared civic practice.  

Through platforms such as Restarters.net and tools like Fixometer, many repair initiatives have been documented. An unprecedented evidence base on why products fail and what prevents their repair. This open dataset has directly informed EU-level debates on repairability, including upcoming regulations on smartphones and tablets. Insights from this work have shaped policies such as mandatory long-term software support and, from 2027, requirements for user-replaceable batteries, addressing one of the most common reasons devices are prematurely discarded. At the policy level, Ugo’s leadership of the European Rights to Repair Campaign has resulted in legislative outcomes. By partnering with think tanks and monitoring national policy experiments, such as repair vouchers and VAT reductions, he continues to demonstrate how repair can support jobs, youth skills, and local economies. His impact lies not only in changing laws, but in proving that a repair-centered economy is both viable and necessary.