Repair in the Circular Economy: From Fragmented Practices to Strategic Repair Capability

Abstract

Repair is central to the circular economy, yet research remains fragmented across product design, consumer behaviour, business models, community initiatives and policy, limiting understanding of how these dimensions interact to enable repair at scale. This study systematically reviews 79 peer‐reviewed articles using bibliometric mapping, qualitative content analysis and actor‐network analysis. Three interconnected knowledge domains emerge: user and community practices; product design, manufacturing and business models; and policy and governance. Findings show that repair outcomes depend on the alignment of organisational capabilities, ecosystem actors, infrastructure and institutional conditions, while several potentially important actors remain underexplored. Integrating these findings, we conceptualise repair as an ecosystem‐dependent strategic capability for value retention and develop a framework explaining its enabling conditions and interdependencies. The study highlights implications for firms seeking to integrate repair into circular strategies and for policymakers designing supportive repair systems, while identifying research priorities on capability development, ecosystem governance, policy effectiveness and inclusive repair systems.