REPper Hub in Spain: How Nudging is Transforming the Culture of Repair
In Spain, the REPper Hub, spearheaded by OCU (Organización de Consumidores y Usuarios), is not just promoting repair as a sustainable alternative but actively nudging consumers to see repair as the first and most accessible option.
Innovative, behaviorally informed strategies, to break down psychological and practical barriers, making repair a realistic and appealing choice for everyday consumers. Visit the Spanish REPper Hub.
The “Repair Tutorials”
The “Repair Tutorials” initiative, hosted on OCU’s Repara Revive platform, is a web-based program providing step-by-step repair guidance to tackle common faults in devices like washing machines, fridges, mobile phones, vacuum cleaners, TVs, printers, and blenders.
Designed to make repair feel accessible, simple, and rewarding, the tutorials proves repair as easier, faster, and more achievable than expected.
The results speak for themselves: 4,254 visits over six months, with the highest engagement for tutorials on washing machines, mobile phones, and fridges.
A Holistic Approach to Repair
By combining education, community engagement, and policy advocacy, the REPper Hub in Spain is driving a cultural shift toward sustainability and empowering consumers.
Educational Initiatives
One of the cornerstones of the REPper Hub’s work in Spain is education, OCU organized three webinars to educate consumers about their Right to Repair, reaching over 500 attendees combined. These sessions provided practical insights and empowered participants to consider repair as a viable alternative to replacement.
Beyond consumer education, the Hub also collaborated with institutions like the Città Metropolitana di Bologna to offer hands-on vocational training for students. This ensures that the next generation of professionals is equipped with the skills to support a repair-friendly economy.
Community Engagement
Local communities plays a vital role in normalizing repair. The REPper project actively engages local communities to normalize repair culture through initiatives like Repair Cafés, where volunteers help neighbors fix broken items, or neighborhood workshops that provide hands-on training in basic repair skills: many common issues can be resolved with minimal tools and knowledge.
Advocating for Systemic Change
The REPper Hub in Spain advocates for systemic change to mainstream repair, pushing for repairability labeling, extended warranties, repair vouchers, reduced VAT on repair services. The project also supports the development of local repair systems, including mobile repair units and tool-lending libraries, to ensure that repair services are accessible to all, regardless of their location or resources.
Interview of Amaya Apesteguía, OCU’s REPper Coordinator
Q: How has the REPper project helped OCU connect the right to repair with consumers’ daily lives?
For OCU, the REPper project has been much more than a European initiative: it has been a real opportunity to connect the right to repair with consumers’ everyday lives and start turning it into a common practice.
From our experience, REPper has confirmed something we had long observed: repair is not only a technical issue, but also a cultural one. For decades, the dominant model has pushed consumers to replace products instead of repairing them. This project has allowed us to work directly on changing that mindset, by focusing on removing the barriers that prevent repair.
Q: What practical and structural conditions do you identify as essential for making the right to repair a reality?
One of the key lessons for OCU has been to see that there is a clear, latent demand for repair. Consumers want to extend the lifetime of their products, but they need practical support: reliable information, accessible services, and reassurance that repairing is worth it. In this sense, REPper has enabled us to develop concrete tools, such as information and guidance platforms, that bring repair closer to people’s daily lives and reduce the uncertainty they face when a product breaks down.
At the same time, the project has strengthened our belief that the right to repair must be supported by structural measures. Recognizing this right in law is not enough: spare parts must be available, prices must be reasonable, repair services must be trustworthy, and there must be a viable economic ecosystem behind it.
Q: What factors will ensure a long-term impact of the REPper project?
Another key aspect has been the European dimension. Taking part in REPper has allowed us to compare the Spanish reality with that of other Mediterranean countries and to see that, while the barriers are similar, so are the solutions. Repair hubs, training actions, and “nudging” strategies to encourage more sustainable habits all show that a shift towards a repair culture is possible when action is coordinated.
This is only the beginning. The real impact of REPper will last if we succeed in consolidating this transition towards a repair culture, where the right to repair is a reality for all consumers.
