RT Journal Article
T1 Facing Obsolescence: Component Repair and Collaboration in the Independent ICT Commercial Repair Sector
A1 López-Bermúdez, Francisco
A1 Vence Deza, Xavier
K1 Circular economy
K1 Ecodesign
K1 Obsolescence planned
K1 Planed obsolescence
K1 Repair
K1 Repair policy
AB Repairs are becoming more difficult to perform due to multiple factors, including obsolescence, complexity of designs, technological change and lack of information and spare parts. This underlines a conflict between repair and technological designs driven by accumulation logics that require increasing growth rates. Despite these challenges, independent repairers persist. This exploratory research addressed how repairers working with ICT equipment actively circumvent obstacles and barriers using technical and collaborative arrangements that have often been overlooked in most commercial repair analysis. This paper uses insights from a survey sent to independent commercial repairers in the region of Galicia (NUTS ES11). Insights show that repairers employ repair techniques, such as component repair, to avoid manufacturers' control while also using collaborative networks for information exchange, skill sharing and commercial cooperation. This reveals that the repair sector is more complex than previously assumed and more similar to other knowledge-intensive industries. Current repair policy insufficiently supports independent repairers and the tools they rely on. Ecodesign provisions so far have neglected component repair and the need for improved information and know-how transfer.
PB Wiley
SN 0968-0802
YR 2026
FD 2026-02-24
LK https://hdl.handle.net/10347/46920
UL https://hdl.handle.net/10347/46920
LA eng
NO López‐Bermúdez, F., & Vence, X. (2026). Facing Obsolescence: Component Repair and Collaboration in the Independent ICT Commercial Repair Sector. Sustainable Development. https://doi.org/10.1002/SD.70906
NO This work was supported by Xunta de Galicia, GRC ED431C 2022/15,Agencia Estatal de Investigación, PID2022-141162NB-I00
NO This research has been supported by the ICEDE research group, to which the authors belong, Galician Competitive Research Group ED431C 2022/15 financed by Xunta de Galicia and project ‘REVALEC’ REFERENCE PID2022- 141162NB- I00 financed by MCIN/ AEI/10.13039/501100011033 / EFRD, EU.
DS Minerva
RD 22 may 2026