Repair and maintenance activities are stud-ied as a key sector for the transition to the circular economy, due to their economic and social importance and their role in prolong-ing the life of goods, reducing the consumption of new resources and waste genera-tion. An empirical analysis of the repair and maintenance sector in Mexico is carried out, highlighting its structural specificities compared to the rest of the economic activities and also its own internal heterogeneity. The small size of the firms, the labour-intensive nature, the type of employment and the cost structure allow us to identify their social and environmental potential, but also the barri-ers and limitations compared to the sectors of production and sale of new goods. This analysis provides the basis for the further design of policies to boost their role in the transition to a circular economy.