Freitag has brought its circularity-for-consumers workshop to its flagship brick-and-mortar.
The Zurich bag manufacturer’s latest “Repair Station” is just next door to the Freitag flagship. Located in the former hat shop at Geroldstrasse 17, the compact kiosk is intended to operate more as a functionally-integrated microspace embracing circular culture, the from-truck-till-backpack brand said, and less as an eco-addendum.
“We want to inspire our customers with the long-lasting quality of our products,” said Peter Hollenstein, sustainability and circularity lead at Freitag. “Our goal is clear: make them last even longer and cut down on the number of bags that are thrown away.”
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While repairs are handled at Freitag headquarters (and nine other stations), the kiosk brings the effort to the center of Zurich. With the workshop just next door to the Freitag flagship storefront, the company hopes to put its repair services in front of more people.
Freitag’s nominal “bag doctors” handle tried-and-true repair services, such as replacing worn hook-and-loop closures and zippers, swapping out straps and labels, fixing seams and patching holes.
“That way, not only the tarps, but also the bags themselves get a second life,” said Morena Eberle, Freitag’s repair team lead. And the doctor is in (pun intended) high demand: nearly 10,000 bags and accessories were revived last year—the “most ever,” Eberle said.
At the “service window” of the compact—measuring in at roughly 107 square feet—repair station, customers can “order” their desired repair job from a menu, not unlike a drive-through. Here, they can collect their fixed bags at the same window—in some cases, even the same day, the company said—courtesy of the new express options. The DIY “Freitag Yourself” service—aka how customers can customize bags to be assembled as one-off creations—is also available.
The kiosk itself incorporates reused materials, too. The awning is made from a circular test tarp, while the signage reused lettering and wayfinders from Freitag’s factory in Oerlikon.
Founded in 1993 and most famous for designing and making bags from used truck tarps, the company has been offering repair services for years, Freitag said—when it makes sense.
“In order to avoid losing sight of the bigger picture (aka the circular economy) in this jungle of torn Velcro fasteners and zippers, broken buckles and smaller or larger holes in tarps, we’ve created the Freitag Repair Principles,” the company said in a statement.
It mandates that Freitag repairs “things as locally as possible, when they’re damaged, when it’s possible.”
Per these principles, minor jobs, like replacing a single buckle, will cost about the same as a Freitag carabiner—about $30. Major repairs, like reconstructing a gaping hole, can cost as much as an F257 Sutton—the company’s $113-ish compact wallet.
“And everything in between costs—you’ve guessed it—something in between,” Freitag said.
