The Stop #ExpresDefect-campaign had a very busy Fall. Policy wins from the local to the European level, a heap of fun events, and more interesting stuff coming up. Dive right into it!
Good “repair” news at the EU level!
The European Parliament voted for our right to repair! The current proposal addresses, on the one hand, the exorbitant costs of repair through the transparent pricing of spare parts. On the other hand, it aims to foster an open repair economy and tackle unjust anti-repair practices built in by manufacturers, such as planned obsolescence. Read more about this victory for the right to repair .
CATAPA updates in West-Flanders!
During the last months of 2023, CATAPA was ever-present in West-Flanders with our Stop #ExpresDefect campaign. We organised events, get-togethers, and presentations to raise awareness and make our CATAPA community grow in West-Flanders. We wanted to convince as many as possible of the necessity to stop mining, Stop #ExpresDefect aka planned obsolescence, and to start degrowth. Take a look below at all that we have done!
November blues (and pinks and yellows!) during Klimaduro
CATAPA was one of the organisations involved in Klimaduro, the West-Flemish climate and sustainability week. As part of this week, we set up a photo exhibition about mining, e-waste, planned obsolescence and overconsumption. On top of that, Catapistas gave a speech about those topics at the opening reception.The week-long photo expo emphasised the ubiquitous nature of e-waste in our daily lives due to manufacturers purposefully sabotaging the longevity of their own products.
In case you missed the expo, take a look at some of the pictures that were displayed. Special thanks go to Brendan, Camilla and Dayana for participating in the photo exhibition!
What is more, Dayana’s project is ongoing and open to participation, so don’t hesitate to add content by tagging @aguapanela.be and @catapa_vzw on Instagram.
Catapistas also participated in several Repair Cafés, not just as a way to fix their objects – a fire alarm, a gamepad, headphones – but also to engage with the locals and to discuss planned obsolescence, the necessity of accessible and affordable repair, and, at large, about the Stop #ExpresDefect campaign. We even created a fun quiz! What do you know about mining, planned obsolescence, e-waste and repair initiatives? Invite CATAPA to organize the quiz together at your own event.
Stop #ExpresDefect spread its cause even further than that. We took our banners and info stand to a number of events and allowed the public to get to know our blue, pink and yellow campaign!
For example, from the 17th to the 24th of November, CATAPA/BOS+ banners on mining, deforestation, e-waste and circular economy were also displayed in VIVES Hogeschool in Kortrijk to spread the message among students. The teachers will use our quiz later on during the year!
Towards the end of November, we also joined Avansa’s event in Kortrijk, “On the sofa with Nick Meynen.” Our wonderful Catapista, Nóra Katona, represented us in the discussion with Meynen (EEB) and André Watteyne (KU Leuven) on how to concretely implement degrowth. Thank you Nóra! She also promoted our Stop #ExpresDefect campaign for which we are incredibly thankful!
There’s more to West-Flanders than Klimaduro
Beyond Klimaduro, Kortrijk remained central to our actions. Only a few days later (November 25) we moved our info stand and banners to the “Oxfam Gift Fair” in the same city. Although people came to shop for presents, they were very interested in CATAPA and our campaign.
That same day, Catapistas Willy and Johan represented us at De Transformisten’s Share Fest to promote responsible consumption and the benefits of a shared economy. Thank you, Willy and Johan!
Mark your calendar!
- Do our actions sound interesting? Want to make a difference? Or do you have an amazing idea of how to implement change that we have not thought of yet? On February 22 we are organising another event with Avansa Kortrijk. The plan is to work together with local citizens and convince local councils to stop planned obsolescence. Where better to start change on a local level than from the people that live there? One way we have thought of is to make the councils sign the Charter (see below). Do you have other ideas? Then join us at Deel Fabriek at 7pm on Thursday 22nd of February!
- At the end of 2023, Industriemuseum launched Ferro Non Ferro. A new exhibition on metals. The expo sheds light on, among other topics, resistance to mining through CATAPA’s work. Our e-waste installation is also featured at the exhibition. The exposition is set to stay open for 10 months, starting on December 1, 2023, so do not miss it! CATAPA supported the preparation of the exhibition, all our thanks go to our Catapista Camilla and Nerdlab’s Florian for setting up the e-waste installation!
- Next campaign meeting – February 20, from 7 to 9pm. We will be in CATAPA’s office but you can also participate online. We hope to see you there!
Help us spread this campaign!
CATAPA does not exist without Catapistas, so be sure to let us know if you want to help CATAPA grow in your region. We are looking for people who can help at the activities themselves or in working out our tools. You can also organise an event yourself or use our campaign tools like banners, flyers, quiz, foto-expo, etc. Don’t hesitate to contact us!
More news about the activities in our next newsletter, on the website or social media. You can also find us on Slack, sign up here.
See you soon Catapistas! 😉