An update on the ‘act now’ campaign to make better use of community facilities for sharing, repair and reuse.
In 2023, I sent ‘unbroken‘ photobooks and ‘act now‘ zines to all major UK councils and local authorities. I have just updated the campaign. More copies of the books and zines have gone to councils that recently changed control. Books have also been sent to the newly elected mayors and to the recently appointed government ministers at DEFRA and the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government.
Whilst we really need a better ‘Right to Repair‘, there is still much more we can do with the resources we have.
There are over 1000 under-utilised council-owned properties that are likely suitable for sharing, repair and re-use. Many are empty. Sian Berry (Greens) described these spaces as ‘Dead Spaces‘. They do not need to be dead. If a fraction of these became ‘meanwhile’ use for local communities, it could help reduce waste, reduce council disposal costs, help with cost of living and help build local communities. It really begs the question – so, why would you not want to do this?
The RSA has recently adopted the idea of making better use of these ‘Dead Spaces‘ as part of its Day One Manifesto. This will form part of the ongoing campaign into 2025. More to follow.
International Repair Day (19 October) is fast approaching. As part of that, I am putting together an exhibition to be shown at a ‘meanwhile’ shop outside Leytonstone Station. E11. It is supported by We Flock CIC. More on this in the next few week.
2023 has been a busy year for the right to repair movement and unbroken.solutions, here is a summary of the project and the groups I have been working with over the past few years.
January – I presented on repair at The Photographers Gallery (TPG) with the Restart Project as part of the TPG’s Small File Photo Festival
March – the project exhibited in Stirling for Circular Communities Scotland’s Share and Repair event, bringing together sharing libraries, repair and reuse communities from across Scotland.
Book and zine were published
The unbroken.solutions book and act now zine were completed, working with Struktur Design and Pure Print, and were published in June.
July– project exhibited at Sustainability Day in Hackney with Hackney Fixers.
September – project exhibited and act now zines distributed to all delegates at Fixfest 2023, in Cardiff. Fixfest brought together over one hundred community repairers and activists from across the UK. It wa an opportunity to share good practice and build capability. Fixfest was also used as a platform to relaunch the Manchester Declaration as a wider and more comprehensive Repair and Reuse Declaration.
The Declaration asks UK legislators and decision-makers at all levels to support repair and reuse to thrive, by requesting the UK:
– Make repair more affordable, through tax reductions and repair vouchers. – Expand the UK’s right to repair regulations to cover all consumer products, to strengthen design standards and remove barriers to repair for everyone. – Introduce a repair index to help the public choose more repairable and durable products. – Introduce requirements and targets for reuse and repair to be prioritised over recycling and provide investment to make this a reality. This should be a key part of amended extended producer responsibility rules. – Support a new generation of repairers through repair training, accreditation and apprenticeships. For more information and to encourage your MP to sign, see https://repairreusedeclaration.uk
Act Now Campaign
During the summer and early autumn the campaign to engage 260 UK councils, plus devolved government and UK government departments started. It asked council to provide better support for repair and reuse. The campaign sent out copies of the book, plus zine and a covering letter. Follow up emails continue to be sent to encourage more support.
The response has been a little muted (unsurprising, given the financial challenges many councils currently have) but largely positive. Some councils have actively engaged and some are including ideas in their future proposals. After some chasing, even DEFRA replied.
In October – attended BOP Bristol and Impressions Gallery, Bradford book fairs with the Photobook Club Collective.
Dead Spaces
Started research and FOI requests on empty (dead) council spaces that could be put to use to support repair and reuse. This built on the work of Sian Berry’s team in London looking at ‘Dead Spaces‘, addressing London council owned spaces that were not in use or vacant. The FOI extended that research, with a sample across the whole UK. Based on this research, it is estimated that there are around 1200 council owned properties in the UK that are empty and highly likely to be suitable for setting up sharing and repairing centres. This is an opportunity that requires little money to get started.
Visited Cambridge Repair Cafe and exhibited in Cambridge on International Repair Day.
Photographed a Right to Repair Europe (R2REurope) event at EU Parliament in Brussels, aimed at encouraging the parliament to support an improved right to repair directive. Parliament voted positively, but the Council is now in the process of watering down the proposals. Still, it is progress.
Europe has made some progress on repair in 2023 with Batteries directive: User-replaceable batteries required in all portable devices and light transportation vehicles in 2027, and Ecodesign for smartphones & tablets: Parts, tools, and documentation required for all smartphones and tablets by 2025.
In the USA in Colorado: First-ever agricultural bill supporting farmers rights to repair. In Minnesota: Broadest Right to Repair bill yet—this covers basically anything with a chip. In California: requires that electronics and appliances over $100 have parts, tools and manuals available for 7 years and in Maine: Owners & independent mechanics have access to auto telematics. Great progress for USPIRG, iFixit and the other US campaigners.
Building Capability
Also in October, visited RENEW reuse hub, run by Suez, in Manchester. Although early days, this is a major effort to re-direct goods from recycling skips, and to reuse and repair, so they last longer.
Providing facilities like this, plus share and Repair centres is going to be key to deliver any meaningful improvement in our reuse and repair capability. Sadly, the current government waste policy, strategy and proposals will do little to impact this unless there is a proper plan, rather than a the current ‘word salad’.
November– exhibited and spoke at Dead Spaces event with Sian Berry and Climate Emergency Centres in London.
December – unbroken.solutions book was added to SPP network case studies. These case studies provide examples of more sustainable photobook production. The unbroken. solutions photobook was also added to resources in Suez published “Solutions for Stuff”, a comprehensive solutions manual and guide for councils and some material was also provided to the New Zealand, Repair Café Aotearoa Handbook.
During the year regular visits were also made to community repair events and activities at Remake Newport, Penarth, Hackney, Portsmouth Share and Repair, Chesham, Stirling, Cambridge, and Renew in Manchester.
If you want to find out more about progress on repair and reuse and progress on the right to repair check out the Restart Project, R2R Europe and iFixit website and newsletters.
A busy 2023, here’s to more progress in 2024. Happy New Year!
That ‘is a wrap’. In total, 258 books and zines posted to councils, local authorities and devolved government departments. Copies are also going to contributors and collaborators.
As previously indicated, the aim has been to do this and keep the overall footprint and impact small. All parcels hand delivered to my local Post Office.
The plan is to distribute a large number of the act nowzines at FixFest 2023, in Cardiff, in September. Fixfest is a regular global gathering of repairers and tinkerers, activists, policy-makers, thinkers, educators and companies from all over the world. Many community repairers will be present. They will get a free copy of the zine and the option to take copies for local distribution via their repair events.
The campaign tracks the distribution, receipt, email sent and follow up. Information on capabilities and support provided by councils and local authorities will also be captured.
This supports identifying good practices and hopefully pointing to more solutions and case studies.
Regular campaign updates will be provided. Later, copies of the worksheet / database will be made more widely available.
As part of this project around 260 copies of unbroken.solutions photobook will be sent to councils and local authorities in the UK. The ask is a simple one – do more to support repair and reuse in your community.
As part of the campaign, zines have also been produced to distribute to the public, via the community repair network and local repair groups, to encourage the public to engage their councils to ask for more support.
Deciding to run a photobook and zine based campaign clearly comes with an environmental impact. But throughout the process we have been thoughtful and aimed to minimise waste and resources.
The book was designed with Struktur Design to minimise waste and simplify production. The books are A4 size (to minimise paper waste) and use a mix of sustainably sourced and recycled materials. The ‘cloth’ cover uses Wibalin textured and recycled paper. The papers are all CarbonNeutral and FSC sourced. It was printed digitally, as the run size meant offset lith printing would create too much waste (it might all be recycled but it still creates waste and uses energy).
The printers, Pureprint, were selected from criteria to assess their eco-credentials as well as price. They have had ISO14001 (Environmental Management) and EMAS since the 1990s, were the world’s first CarbonNeutral printer. Working with Richard at Pureprint, we aimed to minimise impact in materials, production and use of local suppliers and finishers.
The act now zines were offset printed at YouLovePrint, also part of the PurePrint Group and working to the same environmental management standards.
The books and zines are all sent out using sustainable packaging materials from Priory Direct, BCorp and CarbonNeutral company, offering packaging made from recycled (and recyclable) materials that are sustainably sourced. No bubblewrap, no plastic.
To ship the books and zines, they were hand walked to my local Post Office. Later this year many of the zines will be distributed by and to community repair groups at the upcoming FixFest 2023, again minimising the shipping footprint.
It’s not perfect, but with a little effort you can reduce the impact of your activities. If you want more information on sustainable photobook publishing, check out the resources at SPPNetwork.
