Four things we learned from Fixfest 2025

Over recent years, the global Right to Repair movement has gone from strength-to-strength. With repair cafes popping up everywhere, and important EU laws passed that will extend the warranty of everyday consumer devices across its member states from 2026, it’s looking like a brighter future.

Last week we went to Fixfest 2025. Organised by The Restart Project, Fixfest is a chance for the movement to come together, take stock of its achievements, and have some eco-friendly fun. It was also an opportunity to plot out a more effective path forward amidst all those concerned with planned obsolescence, ultimately ensuring consumers across the world have less barriers and more autonomy when it comes to fixing their broken devices. 

Back Market was on location for all things Fixfest 2025. Here’s four things we learned from attending.

It’s time to make repair cool

As they say, the children are the future. Whether partnering with iFixit; lobbying so tech giants like Apple actually offer devices with removable batteries; or calling for UK politicians to acknowledge fixable products are a crucial part of any thriving circular economy, Back Market are committed to cultivating a more durable Right to Repair culture. 

And the only way the Right to Repair movement can continue to make progress is through galvanising young people, says Katy Medlock, Back Market’s UK general manager [pictured above speaking at Fixfest 2025]. “Through our 10 million customers we’ve proven refurbished tech and repairable devices, which reduce e-waste, can be a commercially viable business model,” Medlock said during a keynote presentation. “And we’ve only achieved this by making the idea of Right to Repair cool among the 18-34 year old group.”

The main takeaway: making younger generations aware they don’t need to waste money on a new product, she says. “It’s about truly connecting with this group, because a refurbished smartphone can potentially last a long time without the need to upgrade,” Medlock continued: “Many have concerns over batteries, which is why we only sell devices with at least 80% battery capacity; you have to listen to young people’s concerns and address them directly. Once you get young people passionate about the Right to Repair movement, the MPs and politicians will then follow suit, because 18-34 is a group they’ve struggled to connect with.”

Bridging the gap politically

Let’s take it back to 2003. This is the year Kyle Wiens was inspired to start iFixit, a time when he struggled to find a service manual or replaceable parts for his Apple laptop. Wiens felt there wasn’t a movement in place to push tech giants into doing more around making such devices easy to fix.

Giving a sense of how much iFixit has grown since then, he revealed his company’s coalition with US PIRG has meant 8 American states have now passed laws around improving Right to Repair mechanics on consumer products. Yet Wiens argued his movement cannot be tied purely to left-leaning politics.

Long story short, it’s time to bridge the political divide. Wiens argued that the fact Texas recently became the first Republican state to come on board with Right to Repair is proof of the need to bridge the gap even further politically. “We have to pass laws in a politically inclusive way,” he said.  “At the moment, we’ve made real strides in the US at a state level and now we need to do so more on a federal level, which will only work if we’re ensuring our movement has space for people from all political persuasions.”

“The average consumer wouldn’t throw away their toilet or a car if they broke – they’d go get them fixed, right? So why would they throw away a laptop or a phone? It’s about prompting a true shift in behaviour; you only do that by not condescending [someone’s political beliefs] and showing Right to Repair can benefit the day-to-day lives of us all.”

More work needed (especially around tablets)

A presentation by the Restart Project’s tech and data lead Neil Mather highlighted how the Right to Repair movement still has so much ground to make up. He revealed that 96% of tech products still aren’t covered by Right to Repair legislation.

Mather argued for the importance of making repair cafes collect consumer data to then feed directly into the Open Repair Alliance’ network. This can essentially work out where the gaps are in real time, and start combatting them. To this end Mather revealed tablets are currently the least repairable device [according to Open Repair Alliance data] and this is due to their “complex designs” and “poor component availability.”

Finding a way to bring the price of repair down will also be imperative over the coming years. “Currently 70% of Americans base whether they’ll even attempt to repair a device on its affordability,” said Mather, “this shows how crucial it is getting legislation in place that ensures repairs never cost more than 30% of a product’s price.” 

There also needs to be more done to galvanise the United Kingdom, which hasn’t been as fast to adopt Right to Repair policies as Europe. The latter is introducing laws from next year that mean smartphones need to be supported with replaceable parts for at least 7 years and will have 5 years of software support. So far 74 MPs have signed a declaration supporting similar Right to Repair legislation in the UK. 

Backmarket’s Katy Medlock urged Fixfest audience members: “We all need to come together in the UK as one and start hustling our MPs into making a change. That call to action is the only way things will change; it’s got to be hustle, hustle, hustle. 74 isn’t enough.”

Transforming Africa

Highlighting how Right to Repair is becoming a truly global movement, Mathew Lubari from South Sudan has started a coalition of African countries (including Kenya, Uganda, and Cameroon). He's subsequently hoping to introduce new laws across the region. “It’s about really teaching Africans that when you can’t repair a device, you don’t truly own it, and then to start using this idea to fuel a massive new movement,” Lubari said.

On the surface, being able to repair a device is a great way of extending its life cycle and ensuring less people are dependent on an upgrade culture that results in millions of devices ending up as e-waste. But, as Lubari argued, bringing Right to Repair culture to Africa can have an impact that goes way deeper.

“Repair isn’t just fixing, but creating connections and social cohesion,” he explained. “Most African countries are recovering from war, so repair and fix-it cafes can heal communities by bringing them together. If you can fix these devices, maybe you can heal and repair other social fractures too.” His poignant comments prove Right to Repair goes far beyond tech. By making it the norm, global communities can work together in more fruitful ways.