Repair or Replace?



In the Movie Passengers, two passengers on a spaceship, heading to a new planet are in a discussion. The girl asks the guy why he gave up his life on Earth to begin a new life on a new planet. The man replies that he is a mechanic and that on Earth, if anything breaks, people replace it rather than repair it. A life on a new planet would allow him to use his skills to repair things.

Indeed, people are increasingly choosing to replace rather than repair. For several products, it is easier and cheaper to replace it than to repair it. While this is true for items ranging from clothes to smartphones, it is still not true for items like cars. Given the high Divorce rates, I'm guessing replacing your spouse is also increasingly becoming a preferred choice. Apparently, in the future, they would be able to replace entire organs with an artificial organ printed using a 3D printer.

The first negative consequence of this trend is a falling demand for careers that involve repairs. A second negative consequence is a higher level of consumption that leads to higher levels of waste. In an article I read recently, the Swedish government is encouraging repairs. One of their measures involves slashing the VAT on repairs of bicycles, clothes, and shoes from 25% to 12%.

It would be interesting to find a study ( I haven't found one yet) that checks if people prefer to repair things, replace things, or are indifferent between the two.

PS: If you didn't like this article, I will repair (edit) it. Please don't replace this blog with some other blog.

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