Australian Research Council (ARC) Future Fellow and Professor in Law at Griffith
University, Leanne Wiseman, is investigating intellectual property law's role in
response to the emerging International Right to Repair movement. With her guidance and support, we created Repair Cafes within Griffith University. The goals are to establish a culture of repairing rather than throwing away goods, raise awareness about the increasing problems derived from a linear economy model and Repair Cafés' role in encouraging a circular economy (repair and reuse). The project also works toward the UN SDGs #11, #12, and #13. The Repair Cafes are workshops taking place in rooms within the University in collaboration with different faculties. For example, the engineering school lends us one of their laboratories. How do the Cafes work? Any student or member of the community can bring one of their items in need of repair. In relation to the type of item, they are allocated to the volunteer with related expertise. For example, if you have a pair of pants you wish to fix, you will be allocated a volunteer with sewing and fabric mending expertise. If you have a broken bicycle, you will be with a volunteer with a mechanical background, and so on. The Repair Cafes are not mere volunteer services but workshops where people and volunteers deal together to fix items.
This project promotes community engagement and aims to divert items from landfills, contributing to sustainability. In addition, people will leave having learnt a new skill which, in turn, can teach someone else.