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Repair is a Radical Act

patagonia.com

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Re: Repair is a Radical Act

#11

Post by fernly »

Repair Cafe is a volunteer organization that applies exactly this insight by holding free "repair cafe" events in which volunteer fixers fix anything for free. There are many local branches, if you are a fixer, volunteer for the next one near you. Bikes, electronics, toys. At the Palo Alto one several women bring sewing machines and fix garments.

Original organization is Dutch: http://repaircafe.org/

Original in English: http://repaircafe.org/en/

Belge: http://www.repaircafe.be/nl/

Palo Alto: http://www.repaircafe-paloalto.org/

Portland, OR: http://repairpdx.org/

Pasadena, CA: https://www.facebook.com/RepairCafe

Re: Repair is a Radical Act

#12

Post by csydas »

ghaff wrote: post #2

This tends not to work with electronics which tend to be at least somewhat obsolete by the time you'd repair them--and, frankly, is less economical than it used to be for many items. That said, I do tend to fix or have fixed clothing with a relatively minor issue that is otherwise still good.

I think this largely depends on the purpose of said electronic item. Laptops, especially within the last few years, can be considered fit for purpose despite the advancements made in computer technology and new releases.

There is of course a point at which a repair becomes more impractical than a replacement, but with a good bit of patience and a steady hand, even an amateur repair tech and breath new life into a broken computer.

The idea of "fit for purpose" is pretty important, especially with electronics, as it's easy to get lost in spec competitions when considering the repair or replace decision. When I did Tech Support for a University and would have students bring me broken machines, it was always a personal consultation to determine the best approach for the student. Often they had little or no money to put towards a new machine, and most of the time all they needed was something to write papers on and watch netflix/do facebook-ey things. A newer computer would certainly do all of the above better, but that doesn't mean that first machine couldn't also do it just fine. $80 and an hour of my time to replace a cracked screen beats the student having to spend $400+ on a new laptop.

It's a weird, fine line with modern consumer electronics depending on what is broken - if you can clearly tell what the damaged part is and a replacement less than 1/3rd the cost of a new machine, I'd suggest it's worth investigating the repair option.

Re: Repair is a Radical Act

#13

Post by snowwrestler »

For those not familiar with Patagonia, they are a clothing company with a long history of environmental consideration and action. Some of their famous decisions were to donate 1% of their revenues to environmental causes, and to shift their entire cotton clothing line to organic cotton. They did an audit of their entire supply chain and were surprised to find that cotton--not nylon or polyester--did the most environmental harm because of the heavy use of pesticides.

Their founder's book is an entertaining business book: Let My People Go Surfing, by Yvon Chouinard.

Re: Repair is a Radical Act

#14

Post by chrissnell »

It's an interesting idea but as someone who owns dozens of their products, I'd love to see them take this a step further: I want to be able to order (for only the cost of shipping) repair parts and fabric for my repairs. For example, my Patagonia roll-aboard luggage is a decade old now and the veteran of hundreds of flights and trips around the world. The burly ripstop nylon is wearing through in spots and you can reach your fingers into the bag through the holes. I can't repair it because of the material thickness--you need a commercial sewing machine. I could take it to one of the local military gear repair places but they don't have matching fabric. What if Patagonia could sell me the long-since-discontinued fabric and replacement parts that I need to do the repairs correctly?

Re: Repair is a Radical Act

#15

Post by nathancahill »

mc32 wrote: post #10
pcl wrote: post #9

Earlier quoted context omitted.

FWIW, I've got a pair of Patagonia ski pants that are about 12 years old, and they were a replacement for another pair that was maybe 15 years old by the time the ankles, knees and inseam were thoroughly trashed beyond further repair.

Some people are good like that, but many others just want to have whatever is in fashion that year or more modern that year (new and maybe marginally better materials, but perhaps not necessary for the purchaser's expected use). She has a good idea, I hope it catches on further and hope it permeates into the GAPs, UNIQLOs, ZARAs, Celios, Diesels, A&F, etc... but I'm not holding my breath.

> others just want to have whatever is in fashion that year or more modern that year

Sounds like a problem with people and not with the apparel companies, no?

I understand what you're saying about quality, durable clothing, it's the main thing I consider when occasionally buying new clothes (easy to check by tugging at the seams, looking for loose threads/inconsistent stitching). But ultimately it's up to people to choose that. Then, in theory, apparel companies would follow the market demand.

Unfortunately, shirts like H&M's are so cheap that it's just as easy to buy new ones every year when they fall apart.

Re: Repair is a Radical Act

#16

Post by nathancahill »

ghaff wrote: post #2

This tends not to work with electronics which tend to be at least somewhat obsolete by the time you'd repair them--and, frankly, is less economical than it used to be for many items. That said, I do tend to fix or have fixed clothing with a relatively minor issue that is otherwise still good.

I have a Macbook Pro that is 5 years old now. I've replaced and upgraded every single component as they failed (battery, SSD, RAM, trackpad and most recently the matte screen when a pixel went dead). It still benchmarks on par with current models. So I don't agree with your comment at all.

Re: Repair is a Radical Act

#17

Post by adrianN »

Plasmoid wrote: post #6
ghaff wrote: post #4

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There is recycling for various electronics components and, in some locales, certain components are legally supposed to be recycled (CRTs, lithium batteries). I don't know the details of what happens in the recycling process however.

Sadly, the process is often to ship to Africa or China and just dump it. There might be some government paperwork that says this particular open-air debris garden is just the storage lot for a proper recycling operation, but often the closest thing to recycling is locals picking through the mounds of trash looking for anything of value.

There is a free to watch documentary about the problem in Ghana:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yUCoToorc9M

Re: Repair is a Radical Act

#18

Post by BogusIKnow »

ghaff wrote: post #2

This tends not to work with electronics which tend to be at least somewhat obsolete by the time you'd repair them--and, frankly, is less economical than it used to be for many items. That said, I do tend to fix or have fixed clothing with a relatively minor issue that is otherwise still good.

My wife has a Nexus 5 which is cheap to repair and replace parts. She's so happy with the phone she doesn't want a new one (Shame Google stopped makeing excellent, upgradeable, repairable and cheap smart phones).

Re: Repair is a Radical Act

#19

Post by girvo »

nathancahill wrote: post #15
mc32 wrote: post #10

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Some people are good like that, but many others just want to have whatever is in fashion that year or more modern that year (new and maybe marginally better materials, but perhaps not necessary for the purchaser's expected use). She has a good idea, I hope it catches on further and hope it permeates into the GAPs, UNIQLOs, ZARAs, Celios, Diesels, A&F, etc... but I'm not holding my breath.

> others just want to have whatever is in fashion that year or more modern that year Sounds like a problem with people and not with the apparel companies, no? I understand what you're saying about quality, durable clothing, it's the main thing I consider when occasionally buying new clothes (easy to check by tugging at the seams, looking for loose threads/inconsistent stitching). But ultimately it's up to people to c…

The thing is, the fashion companies create and drive fashion trends. I'm not joking either, I've been at conferences where the next "trend" is unveiled, 12 months before it hits the shelves...

Re: Repair is a Radical Act

#20

Post by sliverstorm »

chrissnell wrote: post #14

It's an interesting idea but as someone who owns dozens of their products, I'd love to see them take this a step further: I want to be able to order (for only the cost of shipping) repair parts and fabric for my repairs. For example, my Patagonia roll-aboard luggage is a decade old now and the veteran of hundreds of flights and trips around the world. The burly ripstop nylon is wearing through in spots and you can re…

They have a repair wagon that was making the rounds of the USA, repairing your stuff in your town.
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