From December 2024, Repair Cafés in Germany can receive funding up to EUR 3,000 for the purchase of tools and equipment, as well as for qualification and training purposes. The German Environment Ministry is making three million euros available for this purpose.
The ministry’s ‘Repairing instead of throwing away’ funding programme aims to extend the life of products and save resources. The programme promotes a culture of repairing instead of throwing away and wants to ensure that people have a greater appreciation of products and materials.
Repair Cafés as important cornerstone of the right to repair
German Environment Minister Steffi Lemke sees Repair Cafés as an important cornerstone of the right to repair. “They are places of civic participation where the environment is actively protected”, she said.
Initially, only Repair Cafés that are officially registered as non-profit organisations will receive funding. In the next phase, the programme will be opened up to Repair Cafés that are not organised in this way.
Funding in line with European right to repair
The move is in line with European agreements on the right to repair. The legal text, adopted in April 2024, states that EU member states should take additional measures to promote repair. For example, they can support civic repair initiatives by providing space or funding training so that more people can learn to make repairs.
More information
- Read the German Environment Ministry’s press release on the new subsidy (in German)
- Also read the FAQ on the ‘Repairing instead of throwing away’ subsidy programme on the German Environment Ministry’s website (in German)
- Read more about additional EU measures to promote repair (in English)
That is an interesting level of funding for a population the size of Germany. In Australia it would be seen as tokenism because it would be seen as likely to be one-off and unlikely to be developed further.
However if it is a soft start to an ongoing program, that can be seen as an excellent beginning. Giving groups time to envisage how they might best use funding, and to plan their applications over the medium term, rather than all at once.
Provision for training is a challenging point. How best do we do that (with or without external funding).