What do we see?
In 2023, repair as a circular strategy in Flanders was mapped in detail for the first time. This was done on the basis of two data sources: a broader survey and an analysis of the household budget survey.
The survey probed both formal and informal recovery channels. A total of 9.7 million products were recovered, representing 1.78 items per adult. Based on the household budget survey, which captures paid activities, it was estimated that 12,039,678 repairs were carried out, or 4.16 items per household.
From the survey, we see that repairs are most often carried out in-house or within the family. Repairs by independent repairers come third, followed by repairs at the retailer or seller. The majority of goods repaired are textiles, EEE and bicycles.
The household budget survey allows us to track trends over several years in terms of paid repair. In 2022, a Flemish household spent an average of € 218 on repairs. The number of repairs has increased sharply since 2012, with the exception of a dip in COVID year 2020. Bicycles and to EEE increasingly make up the majority of repairs.
What’s the aim?
Repairing means fixing a utensil, appliance or product so that its owner can use it for longer. Repairing is a high-ranking strategy in the circular hierarchy and we like to see this activity increase: by repairing, we ensure that products can perform their function for longer and the purchase of new appliances as well as the disposal of products can be postponed. There are no specific targets on repair, but measures to increase repair and the communication about it are in the pipeline at Belgian and EU level.
