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The European Parliament, in particular the Internal Market and Consumer Protection Committee (IMCO), voted today on the proposal for new legislation relating to the right to repair. With 38 votes in favour, 2 against and no abstentions, the body initiated a decisive change of direction in establishing which side Europe is on when it comes to supporting the right of consumers to be able to repair, on their own, the technological devices purchased. The project will be voted on by MEPs in the plenary session on 20-23 November. Once the Council has adopted its position, negotiations on the final text can begin. The issue has become hot in the United States in the last two years, especially in the state of California, where the bulk of hi-tech companies are based. Overseas, the “right to repair” became law a couple of weeks ago, under the name Right to Repair Act (SB 244). Rapporteur René Repasi (S&D, DE) told IMCO: “Today we have established direct repair obligations for manufacturers and introduced new incentives for consumers to choose repair. We have strengthened the role of independent repairers and placed them at the heart of improving repairs in Europe. Through improved access to relevant technical repair information and affordable spare parts for repairers, including the promotion of 3D printing for parts, increased competition will reduce repair costs. We have combined this with the obligation for Member States to establish financial incentives to relaunch the repair sector.”
Swappie’s location
Swappie, a leading company in Europe in the purchase, refurbishment and sale of iPhones and a member of the Board of Directors of EUREFAS, an association representing the refurbished industry and which wants to promote the circular economy, is heavily involved in the topic. “Consumer electronics should be designed with repair in mind and built to last,” explained Claire Darmon, Head of Public Affairs at Swappie. «It may seem obvious, but even today consumer devices, and especially electronic devices, are designed in such a way that they cannot be repaired or only by a limited number of authorized professionals. Beyond normal wear and tear, there is the possibility of accidents occurring. We all know someone who dropped their phone on a trip away from home and couldn’t find anyone to replace the screen. Any professional repair service provider should be able to perform basic repairs such as screen or battery replacement. This means making original spare parts and instruction manuals available on the market at an affordable price.”
The advantages of self-repair
According to a recent Eurobaramoter survey, 77% of European consumers would prefer to repair their malfunctioning goods rather than buy new ones. In line with this sentiment, the European Commission’s recent proposal for common standards encouraging asset repair represents a key milestone in achieving the objectives of the Green Deal, a wide-ranging initiative designed to bring Europe to climate neutrality by 2050. At the center of this new proposal is the concept of the consumer’s “right to repair”. The aim is precisely to make repairs financially more “interesting” compared to the prevalent practice of replacing products, an approach that leads to the accumulation of excessive waste, which partly ends up in WEEE, partly not, it simply becomes non-recoverable waste .