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AThe first Repair Café was held in Amsterdam in October 2009. Its organiser, Martine Postma, wanted to give people an alternative to throwing away things that were only slightly broken. The idea spread quickly, and in 2011 she set up the Repair Café International Foundation, a non-profit organisation that supports local groups wishing to start their own events. According to the foundation, there are now more than 2,500 Repair Cafés around the world, from the Netherlands and Germany to the United States, India and Japan.

BAn event usually takes place in a shared public space, such as a community centre. Visitors bring broken items from home, including clothing, furniture, bicycles, toys and electrical appliances, and volunteers with repair skills help them. Visitors do not simply hand over an item and come back later; they stay and work on it together with the volunteer. The help is free, and while people wait for a table to become available, they can have a drink and talk with others.

CThe organisers describe several aims. Keeping products in use for longer means that fewer new ones must be manufactured, which reduces waste and the emissions linked to production. Repairing also passes on practical knowledge that many people no longer learn at home or at school. The foundation stresses that the events are not intended to compete with professional repairers. Instead, volunteers often point visitors towards local repair businesses when a job needs specialist tools or parts.

DGovernments have also started to act. In June 2024 the European Union adopted a directive on the repair of goods, which member states were required to apply from 31 July 2026. It requires manufacturers of certain products, including refrigerators and smartphones, to offer repairs at a reasonable price and within a reasonable time, and to make spare parts available. Each member state must also introduce at least one measure to encourage repair, such as vouchers, information campaigns or training courses. Reliable access to parts is something volunteers alone could not guarantee, so the law complements community efforts rather than replacing them.