The Restart Project aligns brilliantly with our repair and reuse challenge and we were thrilled to be able to partner with them and support their important work.  The Restart Project is a people-powered social enterprise that believes every product should be repairable, and that repair and reuse should be accessible and affordable for everyone..

They support community repair initiatives: groups that offer regular fixing events, where volunteers will help participants to fix their electricals and other belongings. With few commercial repair options remaining, particularly for small appliances like toasters that can be bought new for under £10, repair cafes are often the only option for people who wish to keep their belongings in use for longer.

The Restart Project’s online platform (Restarters.net) supports a London network of 30 repair groups, and an international community of 800+ repair groups. In London, they run skill shares and training, help groups find volunteers, and offer tailored support for new groups. Since 2022, The Restart Project has co-developed two pilot “Fixing Factories” – community-led permanent repair spaces, which they will now scale across London.

The Restart Project also run national and international events to highlight ways for the public to engage with repair – they have founded and lead International Repair Day, which now sees over a thousand events worldwide (1,600 in 2023, 100 in UK), and co-organise Fixfest; a gathering for the repair community. The team also campaign to influence change in government policy to make repair options easier and more accessible.