‘There’s a story behind everything that comes in here’: How repair cafés are leading in sustainable living

The rise of repair cafés is a sign that many people in Ireland are ready to ditch a throwaway economy that is the very opposite of sustainable, writes Ellie O’Byrne.

Florian Castel working on a video camera at the repair cafe in the Lough Community Centre, Cork. Picture: Dan Linehan

In the Lough Community Centre in Cork City, Adam Roe proudly holds up a pair of sweatpants that he’s just finished darning.

“I found out about this place through a friend and was like, yeah, why not,” Adam says. “This is my second time coming here, so I wouldn’t exactly be a grizzled veteran yet.”