Does the
“repair bonus”
for clothes and shoes really work?
Launched last November, this system will have enabled the French to save 2.3 million euros after six months of existence, the head of this fund announced on Monday March 25.
With
“a tenfold increase in repairs since December”
among certified repairers,
“it’s a very good start
,” rejoiced Elsa Chassagnette of Refashion, the eco-organization which manages the Repair Fund and is charged by the government to support industry towards a more circular economy.
According to Elsa Chassagnette, 1,050 stores - including 40% shoemaking and 60% alterations - allow consumers to benefit from this bonus.
“One in two households is less than ten minutes by car from a certified repairer”
even if there are
“big regional disparities”
in this geographical coverage, recognizes the manager.
Around 250,000 repairs were carried out as part of this system, including 84% shoe repair and 16% retouching, she further specified.
A bonus of 8 euros on average
The average bonus is 8 euros, which
“may seem quite low when we know that the bonus ranges from 6 to 25 euros but the most requested repairs are small repairs”
, such as changing heel tips for shoes or tears on clothing.
Are these bonuses used by users already convinced by the repair or do they help attract new customers?
“Informal testimonies (...) from consumers as well as certified repairers tend to suggest that (the bonus) causes more repairs
,” replies Elsa Chassagnette.
Like that for household appliances, the textile
“repair bonus”
(with the exception of household linen and lingerie) allows consumers to benefit from discounts during repairs with approved professionals, the list of which is available on bonusreparation.fr.
A discount is then automatically made on the price of the repair - for example 7 euros for a hole, tear or tear in clothing or 25 euros for resoling leather shoes.
As part of the REP (extended producer responsibility) sector, on the
“polluter pays”
principle , each fashion brand pays an eco-contribution to Refashion, which should make it possible to release one billion euros over the period 2023- 2028, part of which is allocated to the Reparation fund.
In 2019, 16 million pieces (clothing and shoes) were repaired according to Ademe.
Refashion hopes to increase this figure to 21.6 million by 2028 thanks to this system.