Berlin Startup FixFirst Launches AI Platform to Turn Right-to-Repair Compliance Into Trust, Lower Risk and Better Repair Operations

Europe's Right-to-Repair is moving from policy into the customer journey. From 31 July 2026, EU Member States must apply national rules under the Directive on common rules promoting the repair of goods, also known as the Right-to-Repair Directive. Companies active in the EU market for relevant products, and the repair-market participants around them, will need to be ready not only legally, but operationally.

FixFirst, the Berlin-based impact and technology startup building digital infrastructure for repair and circular services, is launching an AI-based Right-to-Repair compliance platform to help companies and repair-market participants turn new repair obligations into opportunities.

For customers, the promise is simple: repair should become easier to understand, easier to access and easier to choose. But a right only becomes real when people know it exists and receive clear answers from the companies that sell, manufacture, insure or service products.

From policy to practice

For market participants, this creates practical questions: What does the website say? What does customer service say? Can a product be repaired? What does it cost? How long does it take? Can an independent repairer access the necessary tools, parts and documentation?

"For years, Right-to-Repair was mainly discussed as a policy topic. Now it becomes an operational question. What happens when a customer asks for repair, or when a repairer asks for parts, tools or documentation? That is where the right becomes real, or where companies get exposed."

Historically, ignoring repair and product longevity has not been fined but it's changing and can be costly. In France, Epson is facing trial over alleged planned obsolescence, which campaigners have described as a historic first step toward the first potential conviction of a company for planned obsolescence. In the past years, John Deere agreed to a $99 million settlement in a U.S. Right-to-Repair case over alleged restrictions on repair tools and software, while denying wrongdoing. Apple agreed to pay up to $500 million in a U.S. iPhone performance-throttling settlement. HP was fined €10 million by the Italian competition authority for misleading and aggressive commercial practices linked to restrictions on non-original cartridges. These cases differ, but they show how this becomes a business risk.

From risk to trust

FixFirst argues that the bigger opportunity is not simply avoiding fines. Companies that act early can use repair compliance as a visible trust signal when customers decide what to buy, keep or replace. Repairability can support stronger conversion, higher customer loyalty and more efficient after-sales operations, while helping products stay in use for longer.

"Companies that make repair compliance visible will not just reduce risk; they will create trust and awareness at the point of decision. We have already seen this in France with the repairability index: when repair information is visible, it can influence what people buy. That is the shift we expect with Right-to-Repair as well. Repair can become a conversion driver, not just a legal obligation after the sale."

A central focus is turning the most debated parts of Right-to-Repair into practical decisions: what counts as a reasonable price, time or appropriate access to repair information, tools and spare parts. FixFirst uses AI and repair-market data to help identify potential non-compliance early and translate vague legal concepts into operational benchmarks.

Repair operations, not reporting software

Unlike compliance-first reporting tools, FixFirst comes from repair operations. The company already supports repair businesses, repair networks, voucher programmes and more. Compliance is added as a layer and entry door, not treated as the single product. The aim is to turn Right-to-Repair compliance into practical value: lower service costs, better customer trust, more efficient repair operations and longer product lifetimes.

The solution supports customer-facing repair information, team training, verified access to repair documentation and parts data, repair-compliance signals, issue reporting, audit trails and repair workflows. Consumers, repairers and businesses can report potential violations through the platform. Manufacturers and other responsible organisations can see these signals early, review the case and intervene before an issue becomes a reputational, regulatory or legal problem.

FixFirst also sees Right-to-Repair as a capacity, quality and resource challenge. As repair demand grows, the market will need trained teams, better diagnostics, consistent documentation and clearer access to parts and repair information. AI can support intake, triage, documentation, quality checks and routing, helping skilled repair professionals focus on the actual repair work. Better repair infrastructure also keeps products, parts and critical materials, including rare earths, in use for longer and helps retain value in local repair loops.

Longterm, as basic repair access becomes expected, repair companies will also need to go beyond the minimum. The question will shift from whether repair is offered to what a great repair experience looks like, and how service providers differentiate.

Right-to-Repair is part of a wider regulatory shift alongside the Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation (ESPR), Digital Product Passports (DPPs), the EU Battery Regulation and the forthcoming Circular Economy Act. Together, these measures point toward stronger requirements around durability, repairability, replaceability and circularity.

From repair roots to global infrastructure

The launch builds on FixFirst's existing repair-market infrastructure. FixFirst provides workflow software for repair operations, different AI tools, and fix1.today as a platform-as-a-service model for organisations launching repair and circular service platforms. Through Zircls, FixFirst's agentic repair platform, customers can find and book repair options online through a network of more than 23,000 repair partners. The company also supports repair voucher and bonus programmes, including London's first electrical repair voucher pilot with The Restart Project, ReLondon and the North London Waste Authority (NLWA), as well as Berlin's REPAIR DEAL with Circular Berlin as part of the EU SOLSTICE project.

FixFirst was recognised with the German Ecodesign Award, Germany's highest state award for ecological design, by the German Environment Agency (UBA), the Federal Ministry for the Environment, Climate Action, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety (BMUKN) and the International Design Center Berlin (IDZ). The company also contributes to international circular electronics work through the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO)-led Global Electronics Management (GEM) Program, a six-year initiative to build digital repair and circularity infrastructure across 16 countries, with an indicative programme budget of approximately US$420 million.

For Sebastian, the idea behind FixFirst is also personal. It started with a repurposed washing machine and early experience helping in his father's electrical repair and installation business. That connection to repair shaped the company's mission to tackle e-waste and build a world where fixing products comes first.

"Seeing repair move from a family business context to global circular infrastructure is something I feel deeply grateful for. The e-waste challenge is huge, but the solution starts with a simple idea: products should be fixed first whenever possible. That is the world we want to help build."

Building on its work in Europe and internationally, FixFirst will publish free compliance tools and host a webinar series for repair-market participants. The tools will first support European Right-to-Repair readiness and then expand toward broader repair infrastructure.

About FixFirst

FixFirst is an impact and technology startup building digital infrastructure for repair and circular services. Its mission is to end the throw-away world by making repair easy, accessible and scalable. The company helps brands, retailers, insurers, cities, repair networks and other market participants manage repair operations, improve service efficiency and comply with regulations such as the Right-to-Repair. Through fix1.today, FixFirst enables organisations to launch or integrate their own repair and circular service platforms. FixFirst's vision is a world where fixing products comes first.

Press contact

Sebastian Daus, CEO & Co-Founder
sebastian@fixfirst.io
right2repair-compliance.com · fixfirst.io · Media kit