Why do users (not) repair their devices? A study of the predictors of repair practices

Jaeger‐Erben, Melanie; Frick, Vivian; Hipp, Tamina

doi:10.1016/j.jclepro.2020.125382

Cited by 64 publications

(69 citation statements)

References 51 publications

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“…However initial research shows that product failure can be caused by multiple design principles, and it is difficult to reliably assess the robustness of products by considering design features alone. [17,18,23,[29][30][31][34][35][36][37][38][39][40][41][42]. Red rows = missing or partially addressed design elements in the scoring system.…”

Section: Aspects Not Addressed or Only Partially Addressed By The Sco...mentioning

confidence: 99%

Design Aspects in Repairability Scoring Systems: Comparing Their Objectivity and Completeness

2022

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The Circular Economy Action Plan adopted by the European Commission aims to keep value in products as long as possible through developing product-specific requirements for durability and repairability. In this context, various scoring systems have been developed for scoring product repairability. This study assessed the objectivity and completeness of six major repair scoring systems, to see what further development may be required to make them policy instruments for testing product repairability. Completeness of the scoring systems was assessed by comparing them to the latest literature on what design features and principles drive product repairability. Objectivity was determined by assessing whether the scoring levels in each criterion were clearly defined with a quantifiable and operator-independent testing method. Results showed that most of the criteria in the scoring systems were acceptably objective and complete. However, improvements are recommended: The health and safety criterion lacked objectivity and has not yet been fully addressed. Further research is required to expand the eDiM database, and to identify whether the additional accuracy provided by eDiM compared to disassembly step compensates for the increased difficulty in testing. Finally, assessment of reassembly and diagnosis should be expanded. Addressing these gaps will lead to the development of a scoring system that could be better used in policymaking, and for assessment by consumer organizations, market surveillance authorities, and other interested stakeholders, to promote the repairability of products.

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Section: Aspects Not Addressed or Only Partially Addressed By The Sco...mentioning

confidence: 99%

Design Aspects in Repairability Scoring Systems: Comparing Their Objectivity and Completeness

2022

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“…Moreover, the current approach in user manuals may drive up sales and profits, as consumers who cannot diagnose and fix their appliances may be inclined to replace them instead of having them repaired, especially when the appliances are inexpensive. The inconvenience and complexity associated with a repair are well-identified barriers for repair practices [13]. At the same time, providing a limited amount of diagnosis information could cause dissatisfaction among a subset of consumers who want to be able to fully diagnose and repair their products.…”

Section: Table 12mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Moreover, a smooth fault diagnosis can promote sustainable behaviour: consumers feel more inclined to repair if any uncertainties associated with a product malfunction are reduced [5,18,29,30]. Hence, facilitating the diagnosis process could help in reducing commonly described consumer barriers to repair such as inconvenience, lack of time, lack of skills, and associated financial costs to the repair [13,16,33].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

How User Manuals Support the Diagnosis of Common Faults in Household Appliances: an Analysis of 150 Manuals

2022

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Product repairs are at the core of sustainable consumption and user manuals can play a relevant role in facilitating them. They are the accredited source of product information for end users and are therefore sought as an important means for the diagnosis and subsequent repair of household appliances. However, despite increasing societal demand for repairable products, few studies have been conducted on the extent to which manuals contribute to the fault diagnosis and subsequent repair process. In this study, we analysed current guidance provided by manuals for the diagnosis process, answering the research question: ‘To what extent do user manuals provide sufficient information to diagnose the most frequent faults in household appliances?’ We examined the diagnosis instructions provided in the user manuals of four different household appliances using data on the appliances’ most frequently failing components, and a framework that considers three steps towards a successful diagnosis: fault detection, fault location, and fault isolation. In total, we analysed 150 user manuals of 48 brands available on the European market. We show that manuals do not instruct the diagnosis of frequently failing components. They mainly refer to causes of failure and directly recommend corrective actions after fault detection. Thus, they rarely include a three-step fault diagnosis process to identify and isolate a faulty component. Based on these results, we have extended the framework for the process of fault diagnosis to include a step from cause identification to corrective action. Both routes, the component-oriented and the cause-oriented route in fault diagnosis, should be considered during the design of products for easy fault diagnosis, and should be included in future regulations that address product reparability.

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“…According to Lazaric et al ( 2019 ), future research could explore in more depth the weight of the regional context in the impact of social influence on environmental awareness and SC. Because the financial dimension of SC behaviour dominates the environmental dimension, further research should investigate more thoroughly the conditions in which consumers behave in a way that is more environmentally friendly (Jaeger‐Erben et al, 2021 ). Furthermore, Liu et al ( 2020 ) suggest that research should focus on motives that continuously engage participants in the process of giving and receiving used goods as an example of consumer satisfaction.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The position of financial prudence, social influence, and environmental satisfaction in the sustainable consumption behavioural model: Cross‐market intergenerational investigation during the Covid‐19 pandemic

Cui

Lissillour

Chebeň

et al. 2022

Corp Soc Responsibility Env

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The main purpose of this study is to gain an in‐depth understanding of the impact of financial prudence (FIN) on social influence and environmental satisfaction in the sustainable consumption (SC) behavioural model from a cross‐market intergenerational perspective in the context of COVID‐19. Surprisingly, we discovered that, during the COVID‐19 pandemic, significant differences emerge between the Chinese and European markets in the four factors (social influence, SC behaviour, environmental satisfaction, and FIN). Unpredictably, Generation X in the European market and Generation Y in the Chinese market had the highest FIN during the pandemic. Another substantial contribution is that, during the epidemic, the influence of social interaction promotes SC behaviour and social influence motivates users to implement SC behaviours by enhancing environmental satisfaction. However, differences arise in the moderating effect of FIN. In China, the moderating effect occurs in the relationship between social influence and SC behaviour, whereas, in Europe, it reflects in the relationship between social influence and environmental satisfaction.

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Why do users (not) repair their devices? A study of the predictors of repair practices

Cited by 64 publications

References 51 publications

Design Aspects in Repairability Scoring Systems: Comparing Their Objectivity and Completeness

Design Aspects in Repairability Scoring Systems: Comparing Their Objectivity and Completeness

How User Manuals Support the Diagnosis of Common Faults in Household Appliances: an Analysis of 150 Manuals

The position of financial prudence, social influence, and environmental satisfaction in the sustainable consumption behavioural model: Cross‐market intergenerational investigation during the Covid‐19 pandemic

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