A Celebration of Repair Culture: The REPper Festival 2026
On May 24–25, 2026, Bologna hosted the REPper Project’s final event: a two-day festival and consortium meeting dedicated to celebrating three years of collaboration, innovation, and impact. Under the banner of “RepairCulture”, stakeholders, experts, and community members gathered to explore how repair can transform economies, environments, and mindsets.
The event was a vibrant mix of expert panels, hands-on workshops, and cultural activities, all designed to showcase the power of repair as a tool for sustainability, education, and social inclusion. From policy discussions to live demonstrations, the festival proved that repair is not just about fixing objects: it’s about reimagining how we live, consume, and connect as communities.
Day 1: Insights, Innovation, and Public Engagement
Expert Panels: Best Practices and the Future of Repair
The festival kicked off with two dynamic panel discussions, bringing together voices from Italy, Europe, and beyond to share their experiences and visions for the repair economy.
REPper’s Best Practices from the Field
Leaders from across Europe presented localized, impactful models of repair hubs, education, and community engagement:
- Luca Lambertini (CIOFS ER/FP, Italy): Education-based repair hubs in Bologna trained adults in micromobility, electronics, and textiles, creating a ripple effect in schools and beyond.
- Marco La Guardia (R.U.S.K.O., Italy): Bologna’s repair cafés demonstrated how hands-on learning fosters inclusion, curiosity, and product longevity.
- Antonio Beraldi (Leila la rete degli oggetti, Italy): The Library of Things (600+ shared objects) turned sharing into a tangible right-to-repair experience.
- Rachil Salonikidou (Greece): School workshops for 250+ children proved that small repairs can spark big cultural shifts.
- Marcela Horvat & Marinka Vovk (Slovenia): From reuse festivals to upcycling tiny homes, Slovenia’s models blended sustainability with social inclusion.
Open Talk: The Future of the Repair Economy
A forward-looking discussion explored how repair can drive waste reduction, economic opportunity, and policy change:
- Evgenia Karapatsiou (DIADYMA SA, Greece): Waste reduction starts with easy, affordable repair; collaboration between municipalities and schools is key.
- Serena Ceccarelli (Gruppo Hera, Italy): In Emilia-Romagna, services for 200+ municipalities are raising awareness and access to repair.
- Eugenio Tedeschi (DISMECO, Italy): E-waste recycling can supply spare parts for other appliances, extending product lifespans.
- Isabella Cioccolini (Salvaiciclisti Bologna, Italy): Affordable bike repair empowers mobility and independence.
- Luisa Crisigiovanni (euroconsumers): Legal frameworks (right-to-repair, incentives) and consumer awareness are critical.
- Rachel Teh Chuann Yien (Seberang Perai City Council, Malaysia): With waste rising, a repair culture unlocks opportunities and creates jobs.
- Micaela Utili (Confartigianato Bologna, Italy): Accessible, affordable repair services, spare parts, and clear documentation are essential to advancing the circular economy.
Public Engagement: Repair Labs and Art & Community Events
The festival was open to the public, with interactive Repair Lab workshops covering textile repair, bike maintenance, appliance repair, alongside the workshops, Art & Community events brought the festival to life with live painting, music performances, screen-printing demonstrations.
Day 2: Consortium Meeting – Learning and Inspiration at CIOFS-FP
On May 25, the REPper consortium visited CIOFS-FP (Centro Italiano Opere Femminili Salesiane – Formazione Professionale), a historic Salesian vocational center in Bologna. For over 50 years, CIOFS-FP has embodied Don Bosco’s educational vision, ensuring no young person is left behind by combating school dropout and fostering social inclusion.
The highlight of the visit was a peer-to-peer repair workshop led by CIOFS-FP students. Far from a passive presentation, the students put the consortium to the test, guiding them through building a wooden scale model and assembling a mini electrical system. An immersive experience allowed REPper partners to understand the tools and techniques driving the next generation of repair professionals.
CIOFS-FP offers a degree in Industrial Machines Maintenance, combining advanced technical skills (PLC, CAD, electronics) with a strong social purpose. The visit underscored the importance of education as the engine of change, a core pillar of the REPper project.
Repair Culture: a Call to Action
Over the past three years, REPper has transformed ideas into impact, from shaping policies to igniting grassroots initiatives.
- Building Repair Hubs: From digital platforms to physical repair cafés and educational workshops, REPper tailored models to each territory’s legal, cultural, and social landscape, fostering locally rooted circularity.
- Trained 2,095+ Individuals: Through train-the-trainer programs and materials for students, teachers, and professionals, REPper proved that education is the engine of change.
- Changed Mindsets: By building consumer trust in repair through nudging, transnational behavior analyses, and impactful campaigns, REPper showed that repair is about rethinking how we consume, produce, and live.
