Our latest exciting announcements, opportunities and tips As 2021 draws to a close, it’s time to celebrate what we’ve accomplished together: in our campaigning work, learning from our data and helping communities fix up computers for those in need. We also remember those we’ve missed and share hopes for 2022. We used our data about broken electronics to learn why they break, focusing on printers, tablets and batteries. Now we’re using these lessons to push for pro-repair regulation. It’s hard to characterise this year’s reading list – there is probably more “nature” in this list than in previous years. But not the kind you might be expecting. We’ve also got a fair bit of naughtiness, disruption and, as you might expect, discussion of where people and planet intersect with tech. After we supported London’s laptop donation schemes in the last six months, we look back at what we achieved. We are looking at ways to deepen and continue these vital partnerships with grassroots reuse groups as we plan into the future. Our devices come with a hidden environmental impact. We reveal what we learned about different products and how, by repairing our gadgets when they break, we can reduce their overall impact. Guest post by Fix It Workshop’s Matt Marchant: “Believe it or not, people do ask me which is best: New or old machines? There is of course, no right or wrong answer. My illustration focuses on an old favourite of mine; the Kenwood Chef.” Our new campaign in London mobilises donations of laptops, cash and volunteer skills, so that unused laptops can be used by students and people in need. We partnered with Catbytes in London to support their laptop donation scheme and help them repair their devices. Our volunteers were happy to help increase the number of laptops available for reuse by people in need.
Celebrating 2021: digital access, learning from our repairs and the Right to Repair
Why our electronics break: what we can learn from nearly 10 years of repairs
Fungi, AI, degrowth and disruption: our summer reading list
Our Laptop Repair Team and the ongoing challenge of digital access
The environmental impact of our devices: revealing what many companies hide
Guest post: Old versus new, which is best?
New London laptop campaign and crowdfunder
Fixing laptops for reuse in the community, with Catbytes in Lewisham