Makers and Fixers: Circular Economy & Grassroots Innovation will explore the emergence of new decentralised, grassroots approaches to making and fixing products. New places are emerging to help individuals experiment, make and fix products. These include tech shops, fab labs, makerspaces focused on makers, and hacklabs and repair cafés focused on fixers. A number of these maker places are starting to explore more sustainable production methods eg the use of 3D printing using recycled plastics. Within hacklabs and repair cafés inventors, entrepreneurs, designers, engineers and hobbyists appear to be coming together to collaborate with a view to extending the life of products through repair and/or changing product functions, therefore extending the use of materials. In addition, a number of companies and social enterprises are emerging to help consumers and users repair or fix a range of products. The emergence of Makers and Fixers has significant implications for the sustainable production and consumption of materials and could contribute significantly to the drive towards a more circular economy.
Makers and Fixers are represented in a diverse collection of organisations, non-profit and profit-generating businesses and subcultures. The Centre for Sustainable Design® is undertaking research to develop a classification of different types of Makers and Fixers based on a range of criteria and will be identifying potential environmental and social benefits of their activities. Furthermore, the research will seek to identify how businesses and other organisations can learn from these groups to innovate, upscale and where appropriate commercialise activities.
Makers & Fixers: Circular Economy & Grassroots Innovation will present findings from new research and will include invited presentations of the University of Sussex, Brighton repair cafe, RDB makerspace, we all design and others, innovative processes and provide excellent networking opportunities.
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