Eight US states are trying to pass minimal Right to Repair legislation that would require companies not to actively confound people who wanted to fix their stuff or choose an independent repair center. But in the EU, Europeans' strong preference for "durable, high-quality products that can be repaired and upgraded" has led to a proposal to require goods sold in Europe to be designed for improvement and maintenance, on the lines of the inspiring and enduring Maker's Bill of Rights.
Its recommendations include:*
robust, easily repairable and good quality products: "minimum resistance criteria" to be established for each product category from the design stage,*
if a repair takes longer than a month, the guarantee should be extended to match the repair time,*
member states should give incentives to produce durable and repairable products, boosting repairs and second-hand sales – this could help to create jobs and reduce waste,*
consumers should have the option of going to an independent repairer: technical, safety or software solutions which prevent repairs from being performed, other than by approved firms or bodies, should be discouraged,*
essential components, such as batteries and LEDs, should not be fixed into products, unless for safety reasons,*
spare parts which are indispensable for the proper and safe functioning of the goods should be made available "at a price commensurate with the nature and life-time of the product",*
an EU-wide definition of "planned obsolescence" and a system that could test and detect the "built-in obsolescence" should be introduced, as well as "appropriate dissuasive measures for producers".
EU Takes Stand Against Crapification
[Yves Smith/Naked Capitalism]
(Image: Peretz Partensky, CC-BY-SA)
