ABSTRACT
Circular Economy (CE) models prioritize reuse activities – such as remanufacturing, refurbishment, resale and repair – over recycling. Still, most manufacturers of consumer electronics have yet to institutionalize the reuse of their products beyond recycling. This case study explores how one small California-based company, iFixit, is working to reduce e-waste by helping nearly 100 million people a year learn how to fix their own devices. It explores why the company has focused on repair as its mission, shows how providing free repair information can be a thriving business model, details some of the challenges of operating outside of the manufacturer’s approved ecosystem, and explains how iFixit has sought to overcome those challenges.
