Right To Repair In EU
- Maggie Jensen
- Mar 28, 2021
- 2 min read
Updated: Aug 15, 2022
Though electrical waste makes up 2% of America's trash and landfills, it makes up 70% of toxic waste. Though this unfortunately is not yet applicable to the United States, in the EU there is a new law involving the companies that produce electronics like refrigerators, dishwashers, hair dryers and televisions to allow these appliances to be repaired within 10 years of purchase. Allowing these items to be repaired instead of thrown away, in the long run will prevent millions and millions of appliances to be thrown away not too long after purchase. Not only from an environmental perspective is this great news, but also consumers can save the money and time that ordinarily would have been spent when there was an issue with their electronics.
Devices Generally Can Be Fixed Instead of Disposed Of
Issues with newer devices that have not reached the end of their life expectancies can normally be repaired. Instead of forcing buyers to immediately dispose of an electronic that does not work or losing the ability to use it altogether, we can repair these devices so they stay out of our landfills for longer.
Repairs Are Difficult To Perform With Household Items
With that being said, special tools and experience are often required to fix technology related issues and these needed items are not easy to get a hold of. This leaves the consumer with options of hiring an electronic technician, reaching out to the manufacturer, getting crafty on their own or buying an entirely new device. Regardless of the selected option, it is not convenient to lose access to devices we rely on a daily basis. This can be avoided by increasing access to facilities that have parts for repair.
Next Steps
Read more about how you can get involved in spreading the right to repair across the globe and in your area here:
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