Service Germany Electronics
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Picture on top: kaputt.de
Repairing things instead of throwing them away is something many people would like to do. Searching the internet for the right repair manual can be frustrating though, and often, it leads to people giving up and buying a new product after all. To our rescue comes an online portal – comparing repairing solutions and helping with prolonging the lifetime of electronic devices.
Looking at electrical appliances from an environmental point of view, it is almost always true to state that they should be used for as long as possible. This is because most of the energy that goes into an electronic device is needed for its production rather than its usage. Also, an electronic device has its biggest impact on the environment during the production phase. The awareness for repairing appliances as an alternative has grown in recent years.
However, on average a smartphone is still used for only two years before a new one is purchased.
For the environment, repairing instead of buying is always the better solution, because an increasing consumption of resources used for the production of technical devices as well as shorter life cycles lead to growing mountains of e-waste. But not everyone is capable of repairing their mobile phone themselves or getting their coffee machine to run again.
To encourage fixing an electronic device, kaputt.de provides a comparison portal for repairing solutions.
The web-based comparison portal was developed in 2014 as part of a business plan contest, it was then founded in 2015 and has been a limited company since 2016. The three founders started from a good position as they had not only spent a long time working on their idea, but had also found support in learning how to start a company – which aspects to consider and which mistakes to avoid.
The three founders of kaputt.de
... “Originally, our idea was to create something like a Wikipedia for instructions, but this idea then turned into something bigger, because we realised that right instructions alone are often not enough to enable someone to repair a device on their own. We wanted to cover everything, from video tutorials to sourcing the required spare parts, from cooperating with repair cafés, organising our own repair gatherings and working with retailers like Media Markt and Saturn so they could set up repair points themselves.” ...
Tobias Kronawitter is one of the founders of the limited company and says he was convinced from the very beginning that there was a need for a portal like kaputt.de.
The idea: No more endless research on multiple repair websites of differing quality and content value, but instead, a portal providing everything from one single source. The founders intent is to address not only a tech savvy tinkering community, but also people who are interested in sustainability and are rethinking their consumer behaviour, however may not have any experience in doing repairs themselves prior to visiting the portal.
kaputt.de concentrates on mobile phones, tablets, notebooks and automatic coffee machines.
Repair works are often very worthwhile for these products. However, advertising and marketing often suggest that buying these products anew would be the better solution. The company has grown fast, but not too fast, as Kronawitter says. Some new spaces have been added to the spare parts storage, and new tutorials on fixing smartphones are produced there every week.
... “We buy spare parts and then resell them, this is how we finance the company. If someone wants to fix something, they can get in touch with us and then we'll be looking for the best repairing solution together as well as providing the right spare parts. About two thirds of our customers are first-time-repairers, which shows us that there is in fact a strong desire for repairing things and that our service helps putting thoughts into action. At the same time, we offer comparisons for other repair options, such as connecting customers to professionals who can carry out repairs, with businesses ranging from large to small.” ...
kaputt.de sees itself operating as a quality tester for tools and spare parts, which are sold through the company’s online shop. With the portal's help, it is possible to assess whether the repair of an electronic device or its appropriate disposal is the more sustainable option. Instructions and tools are at hand as well as links to businesses providing repair services within the vicinity.
For fully automatic coffee machines, kaputt.de offers a repair and return service.
Once the product type is provided, the costumer receives a fixed price offer for the repair, including a box for shipping the device.
Sustainability plays an important role when people choose to keep their smartphone for more than two years, but Tobias Kronawitter can’t tell whether this is the main motivation driving the repairs. After all, no one was going to say “no” to the question whether they were also concerned about sustainability when making a repair decision.
The increasing number of people visiting the website (now up to 140.000 per month), around 250 repairers, including Media Markt and Saturn, as well as the growing number of repaired smartphones speak for the service’s success, and it was awarded the German Ecodesign Award in 2017. The team’s goal is for kaputt.de to become the number one platform for repairs.
... “It was the first time for us to win such a big prize and we realize that people are impressed by the prize and know to acknowledge it when we point it out to them. Personally, we felt like this award connected us on a political level – we feel like public administration has become more accessible through the fact that they have acknowledged efforts like ours." ...
WHO AND WHAT?
kaputt.de has been a limited liability company based in Berlin since 2016. It was developed in 2014 as an idea by Moritz Zyrewitz, Joseph Hufnagl and Tobias Kronawitter.
THE INITIAL PROBLEM
Many electrical devices are disposed of even though they could still be repaired. The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) estimates the annual increase in e-waste worldwide at 40 million tonnes, and Germany is in the upper midfield in terms of e-waste production. Those who want to repair instead of throw away often have to spend time finding out what alternatives are available and whether they are profitable.
THE MOTTO
Repairing should become simple and transparent.
THE IDEA
A nationwide comparison platform for repair solutions of electrical devices, with instructions and tools for self-help and contacts to repair companies.
THE BENEFITS
Service, encouragement, time-saving research, support in finding spare parts, quality check for tools and spare parts for mobile phones.
THE HISTORY
In 2015, the founding team received an Exist grant from the German Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy, was selected from over 100 applicants for the Saturn "Space-Lab" and took part in the German ProSieben Sat.1 Accelerator Programme.
THE AWARD
2017 kaputt.de receives the German Ecodesign Award in the category Service. The jury: "The online platform kaputt.de offers straightforward options for self-undertaken and third-party repairs of defective electrical appliances, and helps to ensure that broken devices are not necessarily replaced by new purchases, but can find continued use after repair. To curb the rapidly increasing amounts of old electrical equipment, we need solutions that can be well integrated into our daily lives."
A FEW NUMBERS
There are now 15 people working in the team. Since its foundation until mid-2020, repairs for around 115,000 smartphones have been supported, thereby saving more than 1 billion litres of water and over 5.4 million kilograms of CO2 (as of mid-2020).
THE FUTURE
Become number 1 platform for repairs, establish spare parts shop, support a young, tech-savvy generation "who are proud to repair their smartphone themselves again." (Zyrewitz)