A new weapon in the fight against electronic waste: Repair bonuses that reward greener behavior

Der Reparaturbonus soll dazu beitragen, Elektroschrott zu reduzieren und Konsument*innen motivieren, ihre defekten Geräte reparieren zu lassen, anstatt sie zu entsorgen. | © stock.adobe-brudertack69

Thousands of pieces of consumer electronics are thrown out every year. Electronic waste is one of the fastest growing waste streams. However, many electronic devices that are disposed of in this way have not yet reached the end of their actual service lives. The repair bonus is intended to remedy this. It serves as a financial incentive to motivate consumers to have defective electrical appliances repaired.

The repair bonus already exists in the German States of Thuringia and Saxony. On behalf of the Thuringian Ministry for the Environment, Energy, and Nature Conservation (TMUEN) and the Thuringian Consumer Protection Center (VZTH), Fraunhofer IZM conducted a study for an »Extended ecological impact assessment of the Thuringian repair bonus«

Erik Poppe, research associate in the Environmental & Reliability Engineering department, was able to prove that the repair bonus leads to less carbon emissions and minimized electronic waste. It promotes appreciation for professional repair services and brings the topic of sustainable recycling management more into the wider public’s awareness.

The repair bonus is set to be introduced in Berlin on September 1, 2024. Following Thuringia and Saxony, Berlin is the third federal state to create a financial incentive for consumers to have their electrical appliances repaired rather than throwing them out when they are faulty or damaged.

Fraunhofer IZM has now been able to prove that the concept works in an impact assessment using Thuringia’s repair bonus scheme as an example. The aim of this study was to investigate the ecological and economic effects of the repair bonus and its impact on consumer behavior.

»The results are promising,« Erik Poppe, research associate at Fraunhofer IZM, confirms. »From 2021 to 2023, 33,288 repairs were carried out in Thuringia, resulting in the saving of 2,971 tons of CO2-eq and 390 tons of electronic waste. This is roughly equivalent to the annual emissions of 275 typical German households.«

If the service life of electronic devices is extended through repairs, CO2 emissions increase significantly more slowly. | © Restart Project 2023

Why repairing »white goods« is so important

In Thuringia, the repair bonus is primarily used for »white goods« – major household appliances like washing machines, refrigerators, or dishwashers. This product group accounted for 36% of repair commissions. White goods are one of the 17 product groups that accounted for 99% of the CO2 avoidance potential identified in the study, with TVs and flat screen displays in second place at 14%, and smartphones in third place at 8.2%.

Relative Verteilung aller Reparaturen zwischen 2021 – 2023. | © Fraunhofer IZM

Relative distribution of all repairs between 2021 – 2023 © Fraunhofer IZM (Repair bonus Thuringia (N=30288))

For white goods and large household appliances, an average of 177 kg in carbon emissions is generally thought to be avoided with every repair. With the high number of repairs, 1936 t CO2-eq. could be saved in the white goods group alone (which accounts for approx. 65% of the potential CO2 avoidance). TVs and flat screen display accounted for 413 t in CO2 savings, while smartphones, which were the second most frequently repaired category after white goods at 32%, only accounted for 244 t in CO2 savings.

»The repair bonus is particularly effective for large household appliances,« Erik Poppe explains. »Making products in this category is material and resource-intensive, which is why it is all the more important to get their service life extended. For these appliances in particular, repairs – and therefore the repair bonus – are worthwhile in environmental terms.«

Through representative surveys, the researchers were able to determine that a large proportion of the population (approx. 67%) would welcome and potentially use a Germany-wide repair bonus. However, the application process must be as straightforward and as easy to access as possible. Erik Poppe agrees:

Positive effects for the environment and economy

The Thuringian repair bonus shows great potential, particularly when it comes to repairing white goods, as it is highly likely that a new purchase – and therefore further use of resources – can be prevented through repairs. The same applies to other large household appliances such as TVs and flat screen displays. Smartphones, on the other hand, do not contribute much to the positive environmental effects, even if they were the second most frequently repaired items.

However, the data collected also points to weaknesses. »The inadequate data situation makes a complete life cycle assessment of the repair bonus in all of its areas impossible,« Erik Poppe admits. »Nevertheless, the data collected in Thuringia is extremely important with regard to the right to repair. For the first time, market data on current repair costs was collected on a large scale. This will become more of a focus, especially in the further development of the directive.«

The data obtained also provides new, important insights for the standardization and design of new EU ecodesign directives. The study and its results and methodology can serve as a basis for further research and help establish standardized processes for assessing the environmental impact of the consumption of electrical appliances.

Introduction of the repair bonus in Berlin – an outlook

The results are also promising for the planned introduction of the repair bonus in Berlin.

Erik Poppe and his team see four aspects as particularly central for the design of future repair bonuses:

  • Flexible application processes
    Consumers prefer a simple, low-threshold application process, ideally online from home or directly on site at the repair business.
  • Defined funding volume
    The bonus is currently only provided for as long as funding is available. With a larger total volume, more funding could be provided over a longer period, which is why one aim should be to introduce objective criteria for determining the funding volume.
  • Flexible funding amounts per product category
    The Thuringian repair bonus shows that certain product categories in particular are repaired more often than others (and that their environmental impact differs significantly). Different funding should therefore be developed for different product categories, with greater priority on funding products whose environmental impact is higher.
  • Introduction of a long-term, Germany-wide repair bonus
    A Germany-wide, long-term subsidized repair bonus would not only have ecological added >value but would also meet the demands of the Consumer Protection Ministers’ Conference and the recommendations of the EU commissions.²

¹ Source:
»Funding program for the implementation of the pilot project
“ReparaturBONUS” pilot project in Berlin«

All information as of September 20, 2024 without guarantee. Subject to changes and errors.

² Source:
VSMK: Ergebnisprotokoll der 19. Sitzung der Verbraucherschutzministerkonferenz am 30. Juni 2023 in Konstanz, S. 34-35: https://www.verbraucherschutzministerkonferenz.de/documents/ergebnisprotokoll-19-vsmk_oeffentlich_18-07-2023_1689678836.pdf

Europäisches Parlament, 23.04.2024: Recht auf Reparatur: Reparieren einfacher und attraktiver machen: https://www.europarl.europa.eu/news/de/press-room/20240419IPR20590/recht-auf-reparatur-reparieren-einfacher-und-attraktiver-machen

Erik Poppe | © Erik Poppe

Erik Poppe

Erik Poppe has been working as a research associate and life cycle assessor at Fraunhofer IZM since 2021. He focuses his expertise on product lifecycle assessments, premature obsolescence, and the right to repair.

Katja Arnhold, Fraunhofer IZM

Katja Arnhold

Katja Arnhold is editorially responsible for Fraunhofer IZM's RealIZM blog.

Katja has 20 years of experience in corporate communications and B2B marketing. She has worked for two private weather service providers and for the world market leader in premium alcoholic beverages, among others. She studied communication and media sciences, business administration and psychology at the University of Leipzig, holds a master degree and is a member of the Leipzig Public Relations Students Association (LPRS).

Autorenprofil Enrica Theuke | © Enrica Theuke

Enrica Theuke

Enrica Theuke joined Fraunhofer IZM in May 2023 and is part of the RealIZM blog team. She assists with writing blog articles, researching various topics, and preparing and conducting interviews. For that she can refer to her studies in Cultural Science and Gender Studies, which she is currently completing at Humboldt University in Berlin, as well as her bachelor's degree in Industrial Design from the University of Applied Sciences Magdeburg-Stendal.

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