Circ@Home Lahti micropilot tested how digital decision support can make smart-device repair more accessible for households
What happens when a smartphone breaks?
For many households, the decision is not simply about sustainability. It is a practical question:
- How much will the repair cost?
- Can the repair service be trusted?
- How long will the repair take?
- Is repairing still reasonable compared with buying a new device?
These everyday questions were explored in the Circ@Home Lahti non-food micropilot, coordinated by Smart & Lean Hub Oy.
Testing Smart for Repair with households
In Lahti, more than 10 households tested the Älyä Korjaukseen / Smart for Repair application — a digital decision-support tool developed to make repair options easier to find, compare and evaluate.
The application brings together practical information that households need before making a repair decision:
✔ comparison between repair cost and replacement cost
✔ visibility of available repair service providers
✔ warranty information
✔ location of repair services
✔ clear overview of repair alternatives
The aim was not only to promote repair, but to understand what prevents people from choosing repair in real-life situations.
Test the application here:
https://app.powerbi.com/view?r=eyJrIjoiNDNhNWI1NWEtZmYxMC00Y2MyLWFlNDUtNTMyODg4ZTI5ZTM2IiwidCI6ImM4NTBmZTljLWI0NmMtNGIyZC1iODYzLTAxZmEyYTg5ODA2OCIsImMiOjh9
What did households tell us?
The pilot showed that many households have a positive attitude towards repair. The main barriers are often practical: missing information, uncertainty and difficulty comparing alternatives.
As one participant described:
💬 “I would rather repair existing products than buy new ones, because the world is drowning in unnecessary things.”
Users especially appreciated the possibility to see repair information clearly in one place:
💬 “I liked this application because I could easily see the places and a clear comparison.”
The feedback highlighted that transparent information can increase confidence and make repair a more realistic option.
From willingness to action
One of the key lessons from the micropilot was that circular behaviour does not depend only on motivation.
People may already want to make sustainable choices — but those choices need to be easy, understandable and trustworthy.
The Smart for Repair pilot showed that reducing decision uncertainty can strengthen households’ readiness to extend product lifetimes instead of replacing devices.
Small repair decisions can create big circular economy opportunities.
The Lahti pilot is part of the international Circ@Home project, which develops practical solutions to support circular economy actions in everyday life.
From individual services to circular ecosystems
A key conclusion from Circ@Home: Circular transition happens when: usable services + supportive ecosystems → household readiness-to-do → circular actions
The future of circular cities is therefore not only about creating more circular services. It is about creating conditions where circular choices become the easiest and most natural choices.
Smart & Lean Hub Oy continues this work in the Circ@Home project by developing and testing practical solutions that help connect households, circular service providers and local ecosystems.
The deliverable D1.4 is foundable here: https://interreg-baltic.eu/project/circhome/ and here: https://zenodo.org/records/20356176
Households are ready to repair – when making the decision becomes easier
In the Circ@Home Lahti micropilot, more than 10 households tested the Smart for Repair application, which helps users compare smart-device repair options, costs, warranties and service providers. The pilot showed that households are often willing to repair, but need clearer, more trustworthy and easily accessible information before choosing repair over replacement.
Circular services are not about labels – they are about making circular choices work in everyday life
One of the key findings from the Circ@Home project is that circularity happens only when sustainable choices become visible, trusted, affordable and easy enough to use in everyday situations.
🔧 Why repair fails — even when services exist
Pienikin muutos päätöksenteon logiikassa voi siirtää valintaa kohti korjaamista. Ja juuri siinä piilee kiertotalouden hiljainen, mutta vaikuttava vipuvoima.
