Reviews & Articles

Shedding light on the most durable (and shoddy) products. Read our independent reviews, advice on living a calmer, less wasteful life, plus the latest news about our mission to end throwaway culture.

Right to Repair: What’s happening in the EU?

Recently the European parliament announced plans to make the durability, sustainability, and reparability of products a bigger priority as part of the drive towards a more circular economy. Whilst the planned legislation seems to be taking longer than planned, its arrival would mean the biggest step yet towards tackling these issues and a huge win for the right to repair movement. But what will it look like in reality, and what are the issues at play?

3 February 2023

7 long-lasting appliances you'll only need to buy once

Although finding buy-for-life appliances is a challenge these days, there are still companies out there making some exceptional stuff. We’ve put together a list of our favourite long-lasting appliances that we’re confident putting our name behind. With sturdy designs, repairable parts and long guarantees, these are appliances you’ll be able to trust for many years.

5 August 2022

Care 101: Easy Tips For Keeping your Jewellery Heirloom

Whilst fine jewellery can be a wonderful investment to pass down to your grandchildren, it will only make it that far if you take basic steps to care and maintain it in the meantime. Below is a roundup of some basic ways to care for fine jewellery, from cleaning and storing to avoiding loss (because nobody wants to have to break it to grandma that you lost her mother’s necklace.)

18 February 2019

Time to Repair: How Patagonia is encouraging you to wear worn

Can keeping our clothes for longer and fixing busted zips help reduce our impact on the planet? It's certainly a stitch towards it.

22 May 2018

Interview: The True Story of France's Fight against Planned Obsolescence

For almost a century, companies have been designing products to fail, so they can sell the same thing to you again next year. It’s called planned obsolescence. In August 2015, France became the first country in the world to define and outlaw the practice. To get the full story and find out what’s going to happen next, we spoke to the people fighting planned obsolescence on the front line.

9 May 2018

Your phone is going to die. Is there another way?

No matter how much you spend and how delicately you care for it, your phone will have a death day. Phone lifespans average about two years at the moment, reaching their demise often without being repaired, refurbished or recycled. Is there a better way? We take a closer look.

13 April 2018

Blogger Spotlight: What Katie Sews

Do you want to make your own clothes but don’t believe you have the skill? Maybe you want to step away from unethical production chains and the environmental damage caused by the clothing industry. In a warm, friendly voice, Katie Marcus chronicles her journey crafting beautiful clothes with easy-to-follow tips and tutorials.

18 August 2017

The Right To Repair Movement: What It Is And How To Help

Fair Repair bills, legislation that champions a citizen’s right to repair their own gadgetry, have recently stalled in several states in the USA. This is not good news. Encouragingly, the fight against planned obsolescence continues through the noble work of the right to repair movement who believe that real, positive change in the electronics industry is necessary.

1 August 2017