Dear (new) Prime Minister
Here is a letter that the Restart Project has circulated to all its supporters, including our Repair Cafe, asking that we customise it and send it in to the new Prime Minister when they arrive. We’re reproducing it here in case you’d like to do the same? There is so much that could be done through promoting repair.
Dear New Prime Minister,
Congratulations on your [re] election as Prime Minister.
As representatives of trusted businesses, community groups, civil society organisations and institutions that champion repair and reuse of our products, we are writing to ask that your government takes action to harness the social, economic and environmental benefits of a circular economy that keeps our products in use for longer.
Throwaway products are fuelling climate change, growing our toxic waste mountain, and they’re ripping off the British public. The UK is the second highest producer of electronic waste per capita in the world, and has been since 2016, yet too often recycling is prioritised over waste prevention measures that could bring greater benefits to communities, the planet and our wallets. Recent right to repair legislation in the USA and in the EU is starting to turn the tide against the throwaway economy, and the UK is falling behind.
Repair and reuse of our products is central to achieving a truly circular, less wasteful, economy. These measures can help reduce living costs for UK households stuck in a cycle of buying cheap, short lived products, and can help businesses to grow new revenue streams for re-industry and repair, reducing their environmental impact. The UK’s thriving network of over 650 community repair groups is testament to public demand for low cost repair.
Investing in repair and reuse will create green skilled jobs: Green Alliance estimates that an effective and expanded circular economy could help create over 450,000 decentralised jobs by 2035. And supporting repair and reuse is central to achieving our climate targets. Most of the carbon impact of our products occurs during the manufacturing phase - before they even get into the consumers’ hands. Supporting a stronger repair and reuse economy will contribute to the global security of supply for critical raw materials and energy, enhance the UK’s strategic autonomy, and help the UK achieve its net zero ambitions.
With the right policies, your government could make the UK a true leader in the circular economy, and help bring about a future in which repair and reuse are a thriving sector of our economy. In which products are designed to be durable and easily repairable by default, and in which manufacturers actively support their products for as long as possible. A future where products are given a second life through reuse, repair is the easiest option for everyone when something breaks, and recycling is saved for the very end of a product's useful life. A future where the frustration of having to dispose of a short lived product is a thing of the past.
We, along with over 300 community groups, businesses and NGOs, ask you to take bold steps to support repair and reuse to thrive, as outlined in the Repair and Reuse Declaration. This means:
Making repair more affordable, through tax incentives and repair vouchers.
Introducing right to repair regulations that cover all consumer products, strengthen design standards and remove barriers to repair for everyone.
Introducing a repair index to help the public choose more repairable and durable products.
Introducing requirements and targets for reuse and repair to be prioritised over recycling, and providing investment to make this a reality. This should be a key part of amended extended producer responsibility rules.
Supporting a new generation of repairers through repair training, accreditation and apprenticeships.
A recent YouGov survey showed that these policies are supported by 79-85% of the British public.
We will be celebrating Repair Day on 19th October 2024, and we invite you to show your support for measures to galvanise the UK’s reuse and repair economy. We would welcome the opportunity to meet with you and members of the relevant departments to discuss this.