Building Community Around Avoiding Waste: Investigating the Emergence of Repair Cafes in the Netherlands

Abstract

This thesis investigated the socio-economic and demographic factors associated with the emergence of repair cafes in Dutch municipalities from 2011-2023. Repair cafes are grassroots social innovations that promote the ‘repair’ retention loop of the circular economy by encouraging the repair of household items. Four key dimensions that influence the emergence of repair café were identified; environmental awareness, cost-saving incentive, education, and social capital. Data from 342 Dutch municipalities was analyzed using negative binomial regression in this longitudinal study. Findings indicate that Environmental Awareness, specifically through active pro-environmental behavior is important for promoting repair café emergence, although Green Votes showed a negative correlation. The cost-saving incentive dimension revealed that Poverty positively correlated with repair café emergence, while Income showed a contradictory positive correlation, suggesting a nuanced relationships between economic factors and repair café emergence. Education Level predicted an increase in Repair Café Emergence, aligning with previous studies. Presence of educational institutions did not significantly impact emergence, suggesting that education is more important at an individual than institutional level. Social capital in the form of bonding and bridging social capital, plays a crucial but complex role in the emergence of repair cafes. Tightly knit communities may have less need for formal repair initiatives, whereas more diverse sub-communities positively correlated with repair café emergence. Findings emphasize the role of local socio-economic and demographic factors in the emergence of repair cafes. Future research should explore factors influencing the longevity of repair cafes, impact on local communities, and the interplay between various forms of social capital. In conclusion, this thesis underscores the significance of environmental awareness, cost-saving incentive, education, and social capital as key dimensions for the emergence of repair cafes. Repair cafes can play a vital role in the advancement of the circular economy and promotion of sustainable consumption by fostering a culture of repair and sustainability.