In April 2024, the implementation of the REPper project, co-funded by the "EU Cooperation Programme Interreg Euro-Med", began, with the participation of 10 partners from eight European countries (Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, France, Greece, Italy, Portugal, Slovenia, and Spain). The Faculty of Economics in Sarajevo is the project partner from Bosnia and Herzegovina, with the leading partner being the Municipality of Bologna from Italy.

According to the Circle Economy Gap Report 22, only 8.6% of the 100 billion tons of resources used annually worldwide are renewable. Therefore, promoting a culture of repair is crucial and should be a priority. The major challenges include high costs of repair services, lack of knowledge and information about durability and repair possibilities, and consumers' lack of trust. These issues indicate the need for a comprehensive change in mindset: demand for new products must decrease, and repair should no longer be seen merely as a hypothetical event but rather as the natural choice.

The REPper project aims to support small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the context of a sustainable economy, enhance skills relevant to sustainable economics, and continue the transition towards more sustainable consumer choices by overcoming existing sustainability challenges on a transnational level, through three areas of action:

Establishing the REPper HUB NETWORK – a unique contact point, physical and/or digital, in each partner country – to design and test a transnational network of pilot services.
Creating the REPper FACTORY for upskilling and reskilling, and providing EU-level training to reduce imbalances between Mediterranean regions.
Building a new culture of repair through nudging can trigger positive changes and new habits.

REPper brings together highly qualified and diverse partners, such as representatives of local and regional governments, consumer organizations, universities, and organizations for innovation and cooperation. They will be able to leverage previous results and enhance them with new actions for both public and private organizations: SMEs, governments, sectoral agencies, business support organizations, schools, and citizens.

Reassessing traditional business models and focusing on the importance of the human factor in the pursuit of innovation and competitiveness is more necessary than ever. REPper will advocate for repair actions throughout the Mediterranean region.