In the future, consumers should have defective goods repaired much more easily. The EU recently spoke out in favor of this legal right. However, all products are not covered by the legal claim.
Have devices repaired more easily
The so-called right to repair is to be introduced at EU level.
Negotiators working for the EU states and the European Parliament agreed that manufacturers of certain products must repair their goods upon request.
These goods include cell phones, vacuum cleaners and refrigerators. The information comes from a message from René Repasi from the SPD – the lead negotiator for the European Parliament.
What is white goods?
The legal claim primarily relates to so-called white goods. These primarily include household appliances and common everyday products such as smartphones. The measures are intended to help consumers have their own devices repaired more cheaply and easily. To avoid large amounts of waste, products should be repaired rather than purchased new.
Statistically, consumers across Europe consume 35 million tonnes of waste every year because they do not have their devices repaired and instead replace them with new ones.
Easy access to affordable replacement parts
However, the new guidelines do not apply to all goods. For example, certain goods such as furniture or headphones are excluded from legal claims. Exact legal texts will follow. But it seems to be a mere formality that EU states and Parliament will agree to this compromise.
In the eyes of Anna Cavazzini – the chair of the EU Parliament’s Internal Market Committee – the planned measure is a “breakthrough in consumer protection”. Repairs will become less complicated and cheaper because access to repair instructions and spare parts at affordable prices will also be possible for hobbyists and small repair shops.
New demands on technical devices
The legal basis for this concept is a proposal that the EU Commission made a few months ago.
According to its own information, the EU Parliament has been discussing the right to repair for over ten years.
Exercising patience for a long time, Parliament increased the pressure in April 2022. The politicians voted by a large majority to design the products in such a way that they last longer and can be repaired safely. A basic requirement for the products is that their components are easily removable and accessible.
New rules for the environment
In the future, consumers and the environment should benefit from the new rules. When it first presented its plan, the Commission justified its decision by saying that fewer discarded goods also generate less waste.
This also minimizes resource consumption. As a result, there are also fewer greenhouse gas emissions. Based on these findings, the Commission predicted that around 18.5 million tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions and 1.8 million tonnes of resources could be saved over 15 years. In the same period, around three million less waste would be generated.
2024-04-28 02:40:15