Capacity building for extending product lifecycles through repair and refurbishment

Expected Outcome:Project results are expected to contribute to all of the following expected outcomes:professionals, consumers and educators adopt innovative repair and refurbishment practices in specific product value chains (electronics, furniture, textiles and footwear), enabling significant reductions in waste, environmental impacts and biodiversity loss, while driving cost savings and job creation in the repair and refurbishment sector;professionals, consumers, local partners, social economy actors and educators have access to high-quality training programs that provide them with technical, business and social skills to repair and refurbish products, thus promoting sustainable consumption and production patterns, climate change adaptation and mitigation, reduction of waste and emissions and enhancing resilience of product value chains. Scope:As the EU strives to reduce waste and promote sustainable consumption, as outlined in the European Green Deal, the Clean Industrial Deal and the upcoming Circular Economy Act, extending product lifecycles through repair and refurbishment practices has become a key approach for achieving a circular economy and extending products’ lifecycles. To support this transition, there is a growing need for innovative capacity-building initiatives that equip professionals, consumers, local authorities and educators with the skills and knowledge required to repair and refurbish products. These practices can contribute to the extension of product lifecycles, thus reducing environmental and climate impacts and contributing for the development of a single market for sustainable products.Proposals should:develop and test innovative, modular and scalable training programs for professionals, consumers, local partners, social economy actors and educators, focusing on the repair and refurbishment of one or more of the following product categories: electronics (including household appliances), furniture, textiles and footwear. These training pro