You are buying a new device. Mobile phone, fridge, fast food. You’ve been using it for a year or two. It spoils. You throw it in the trash because it costs more to fix it than to buy a new one. Have you ever had something like this happen to you? The EU is now putting an end to this, it says Deutsche Welle.
Each year, approx 35 million tons of waste, because instead of being repaired when they break, the products are simply thrown in the trash. This is clear from calculations of the European Commission (EC). The annual damage to consumers is estimated at around 12 billion euros.
Now that needs to change. The European Parliament adopted new law on the right to repair. It aims to support the development of the circular economy and reduce mountains of waste.
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To stop throwing away appliances
“Repairs during the legal warranty period will become more attractive because we are extending the legal warranty period,” said German Social Democrat MEP René Repassi, quoted by German public broadcaster ARD. Specifically: it means that if you submit a damaged unit for repair even in the last week of the warranty, it will be extended by another year from the date of repair.
But even after the warranty expires, users should be able to carry out easy and cheap repair, when possible.
“Furthermore, consumers will have the right to demand that the manufacturer repair a product even after the warranty period has expired,” says Repassi. The new law will also oblige all member states to promote repairs on their territory. This could include, for example, vouchers or national repair funds.
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To make appliance repairs more attractive to consumers, in the future sellers and retailers will lend replacement device during the repair or will offer a refurbished device if the product cannot be repaired. For products that have already been repaired, a new repair can no longer be refused in the future.
The new rules affect large and small white household and black appliances – such as refrigerators and dishwashers, smartphones and tablets, and also bicycles. However, the list may be expanded in the coming years, and consumers who want to repair, for example, their broken vacuum cleaner, should in the future be able to do so more easily at independent repair shops, and not just at the company’s. In the future, manufacturers will have to provide spare parts and instructions for the expected life of the product. The European repair platform should also inform users about the fastest way to repair shops.
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The new rules also make it easier for all those who like to repair broken appliances themselves at home. This starts with product development: manufacturers will be required to ensure that products are repairable, i.e. that there are no obstacles in software or hardware that would make it difficult to open the devices with standard tools.
“In the future, we will be able to repair our mobile phones, laptops and washing machines more easily, quickly and economically”, says the MEP from the Greens Anna Cavazzini, quoted by ARD.
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Spare parts should become cheaper
In addition, the new law provides that spare parts will become cheaper. Manufacturers will now be required to provide spare parts and repair tools at a reasonable cost. It will also be prohibited to make repairs difficult by using contract clauses and hardware and software gimmicks. So for example mobile phones should be fully functional even after a cracked display is replaced – even if the change was not made by the manufacturer.
The EU also wants to create pan-European online platform, where users can quickly find information about repair shops, suppliers of repaired goods, etc. cafes for renovation.
After the European Parliament gave the green light, EU member states have two years time to introduce the right to repair into their national laws.
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