On 18 and 19 October 2024 the project partners gathered in Marseille for the first consortium meeting during the International RepairDays.
Launch of the REPper Festival
During their visit, the partners took part in the first edition of the REPper Festival, in celebration of the International and French Repair Days.
This public event, aimed at both repair professionals and the general public, sought to promote repair, reuse, and upcycling, encouraging active participation in the circular and sustainable economy.
Highlights of the event
- On-site repair services and hands-on workshops to learn how to fix everyday items.
- Discussions with local repair professionals, resource centers, and recycling shops.
- Insights into repair industry careers, sparking interest in an economy focused on sustainability and providing opportunities for the future.
Agenda on 2 days and 2 locations
- Friday 18 October & Saturday 19 October 2024
Les Terrasses du Port Shopping Center, Marseille, France
Artisan stalls to engage with repair professionals, specializing in sewing or upcycling, in bike, small furniture, and jewelry repairs.
> Programme of the Very Good Week (FR) at Les Terrasses du Port - Saturday 19 October 2024
Sports Recycling Center, Marseille, France
Self-repair workshops for sports equipment, and discovery of this community space that collects, repurposes, and redistributes second-hand equipment at affordable prices.
> Workshop programme of the Sports Recycling Center (FR)
The event was co-organized by AViTeM, the Regional Resource Network PACA, the Sports Recycling Center, the Chamber of Trades and Crafts PACA, and Les Terrasses du Port.
Focus on repair sector professionnals
The project partners attended an afternoon dedicated to discussing the challenges and opportunities within the professional repair sector. This professional meeting, hosted by Recyclerie Sportive Marseille, explored topics such as solidarity-based reuse, self-repair, and the role of institutional partners in developing and promoting the repair sector.
Experts, public institutions representatives, and local actors shared their perspectives and experiences on how to integrate the repair culture into both policy and everyday life.
Key presentations
- Professional repair and the French “Repair’actor” network
Camille Costantini – CMA Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur – France - Solidarity-based repair and re-use: resource recovery centres and recycling centres
Cyrille BERGE – Réseau Régional Ressourceries et Recycleries PACA – France - Promoting self-repair among citizens Testimony: Local Repair Café
Axel Schoenhenz – Recyclerie Sportive Marseille – France - Repair activities in an intergenerational housing project in Céreste Luberon
SORENIS – France - Consumer organisations and self-repair behaviours
Amaya Apesteguía – OCU Consumers organisations and self-repair behaviours – Spain - Circular economy through active citizenship
Sofie Sarri – incommon-Innovative Circular Open – Greece - Overcoming Obstacles – Navigating Challenges in the Repair Economy
Katja Zajko – Recosi Refresh IT – Slovenia - Monitoring of data and stakeholders, co-financing of a three-year action plan with the Regional Network for Recycling, Reuse and Repair (RRRR), direct aid to those involved in reuse and repair
Cyrille BERGE – Réseau Régional Ressourceries et Recycleries PACA – France - Metropolitan strategy for repair and reuse deployment
Valérie Maimbourg – Métropole Aix-Marseille-Provence – France - Optimising equipment lifecycles through repair, reuse and distribution of equipment between departments and schools
Axel Gouyache – Ville de Marseille – France
