Household expenditure on repair and maintenance

The Household budget survey is a national survey carried out by each EU Member State, which collects information on households' expenditure on goods and services. Countries do not necessarily used the same methodologies to do so. The survey covers, among many other, categories that relate to the repair and maintenance sector.

Data from this survey shows that in 2015, among the repair and maintenance categories covered, most budget went to repair of furniture, furnishings and floor coverings followed by spare parts and accessories for personal transport equipment. The total budget allocated to this type of categories has remained rather stable between 2005 and 2015, but with significant changes in the categories to which it has been allocated: budget for maintenance and repair of other major durables for recreation and culture and repair of furniture, furnishings and floor coverings grew by more than 500 per cent and 30 per cent, respectively, since 2005. Budget allocated to clothing and footwear also grew – yet this relates to much lower budget in relative terms, and it also includes other activities than repair. On the other hand, budget allocation to repair of personal transport equipment, repair of the dwelling, household appliances and audio-visual, photographic and information equipment decreased between 20 and 30 per cent. This highlights the need to promote further repair and maintenance activities, also through products that are more durable and better access to spare parts and repair services.

The 2020 Circular Economy Action Plan states that the circular economy should provide high-quality, functional and safe products, which are efficient and affordable, last longer and are designed for reuse, repair, and high-quality recycling.

Increasing repair and maintenance of products can expand their lifetime and therefore lower the need for new products – and the environmental impacts linked to their production. Monitoring citizens’ interest in repair services can shed light on how consumer engagement is evolving and suitability of good quality repair and maintenance services. This assessment uses data on household expenditure in such services for different product categories.