Today the The Restart Project, supported by AMDEA and a number of industry partners, wrote to Steve Reed, the Secretary of State for the Environment. With momentum growing towards a circular economy in the UK, we wanted to make sure the government knows that businesses, from manufacturers to retailers, online marketplaces, to waste companies, all support repair and reuse. The ‘asks’ within this cross industry letter, align with AMDEA’s manifesto policy recommendations.

More information on the letter and campaign can be found here

The Joint Letter:

Dear Steve Reed,
We are a broad alliance of businesses, charities and community groups. We are
united behind a vision of the UK in which longer lasting electrical products are
encouraged through better design, repair and reuse.
This would be good for the British public, who can save money by keeping items in
use for longer. It would drive economic growth, boost our circular economy, and create
green jobs across the UK by supporting our repair, refurbishment and resale economy.
Measures to support and incentivise repair and reuse of our products exist in other
markets, and have been proven to work.
Expanding Ecodesign regulations to more product categories, along with product
design improvements, will help bring more repairable products onto the market.
Consumers are supported to make informed choices through initiatives such as the
EU Repairability Index introduced this year.
We encourage removing barriers to repair by harmonising UK regulation in line with
EU Right to Repair laws. We recommend reducing costs for households and
businesses through Government led incentives such as repair incentives, and zero
rating VAT on repairs.
A new generation of repairers could be trained up to revitalise the repair workforce
and help the UK move to net zero. Repair growth alone could generate 31,000 new
jobs by 2035,
1 with 80,000+ needed by 2040.
2 Up to 13 million reusable items
3 could
be kept in use each year by introducing targets to promote reuse of devices rather
than recycling.
These measures need to be driven by an ambitious government that is committed to
developing a truly circular economy, in which waste reduction is prioritised. With the
right ambition, the UK can move from lagging behind other countries, to becoming a
leader in the circular economy.

We call on the government to use the circular economy strategy process to develop
an ambitious roadmap to deliver concrete plans for longer lived electricals. The
undersigned are willing and ready to support these efforts.
Signed,
Businesses and Business Representatives:
Currys
AMDEA (Association of Manufacturers of Domestic Appliances)
Back Market
Suez Recycling and Recovery UK
CLEAR group (Circular Leadership for Electronics and Recycling)
Beko
Hotpoint
Indesit
Leisure
Blomberg
Chartered Institute of Wastes Management
Mobicode
The Repair Finder
Unbroken Solutions
Library of Things
Evonet
NGOs
Green Alliance
Wildlife and Countryside Link
The Restart Project
Regional/National Repair Cafe Networks
Repair Cafe Wales
Circular Communities Scotland
Repair Cafe Northern Ireland
Repair Cafe Portsmouth
Cornwall Repair Cafe Network
Cambridgeshire Repair Cafe Network