Resta (Czechia)

The issue of Critical Raw Materials (CRMs) and potential interruptions to their supply and availability due to concerns such as shortages, trade restrictions or geopolitical considerations are topics that are relatively unknown to the general public. Education and the dissemination of this information amongst the general public has been promoted as a key factor in addressing this and enabling the transition towards a circular economy. By and large, the general public are unaware of the existence of CRMs, their importance in our world and how they contributes to this issue. Educating people about these issues is one way to redress this shortcoming in modern society. Electronic repair events, repair cafés and repair workshops have been gaining momentum at national and international level as a means of addressing the perceived waste inherent in the current linear consumption model. Repair events have existed for quite some time throughout Europe and around the world. When considered in conjunction with the problem of CRM education, they provide aninnovative and novel platform for the dissemination of knowledge and the education of the general public on CRM issues. However, at present electronic repair events and workshops lack the capacity or knowledgebase to educate the public about complex issues such as CRMs and their importance. Raw Engagement for Electronics Repair (REFER) is a KIC Raw Materials project that seeks to address this gap and use platforms such as electronic repair workshops to educate the general public and the wider society about CRMs through engagement in such events. The project will host 60 Restarter Party events across 6 different E.U. member states, engaging with up to 6,000 members of the general public directly on matters of repair, re-use and CRM importance. A set of educational resources has been developed to support these engagements and related referrals through social media, word-of-mouth and website interactions.