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Hello, this is 6 Minute English from BBC Learning English. I'm Rob.

And I'm Sam.

So, how are you today, Sam?

Oh, don't ask, Rob. Today's been a nightmare. This morning I ripped my jeans and later my computer

stopped working. Then when I tried taking it to a repair shop, my car wouldn't start.

Oh, no, that's terrible. And the really bad news is that in today's consumer culture,

when something breaks, we usually throw it away and buy a new one instead of trying to repair it.

In this programme, we'll learn all about repairing broken things by asking what would happen if we

stopped junking and got better at fixing. The world generates over two billion tons of rubbish

every year. So, we're visiting companies in Sweden, making it easier to mend things when they

break, instead of replacing them, whether that's clothes, bikes or washing machines.

A myqueous question is about one of those companies, Fixie, a repair service that collects broken

bikes from your door and brings them back fixed. The company was started by Rafi Muhammad,

a student of industrial innovation at the University of Stockholm. But what was the inspiration behind

Rafi's idea? Was it A, he wanted to impress his girlfriend? B, he was sick of breathing in the

city's car fumes, or C, he was late for his lecture because of a flat tire.

I'll say A, he wanted to impress his girlfriend. Okay Sam, we'll find out about Rafi and his

love life later on. But whatever the inspiration behind it, Rafi's idea was a success. Fixie

took more than 600 orders in its first six months. Rafi's isn't the only Swedish company helping

people fix things instead of buying new. Denham company Newdy Jeans was started with a focus on ethics

and sustainability. At $150 a pair, Newdy Jeans aren't cheap, but they do promise

...