It's no secret that planned obsolescence makes the world go 'round. We've all been there: You buy a big-ticket item that seems to work great until, that is, the product is no longer under warranty. Soon after, it breaks. Lo and behold, repairing the item is prohibitively expensive, it might even cost nearly as much to fix as buying a whole new item. What are you going to do?
Aside from making for a frustrating consumer experience, the practice generates an incredible amount of waste, especially with regards to consumer electronics and home appliances.
Legislators in Europe have had enough and are working to make planned obsolescence in household appliances a thing of the past. According to a recent article from BBC News, "From 2021, firms will have to make appliances longer-lasting, and they will have to supply spare parts for machines for up to 10 years. The rules apply to lighting, washing machines, dishwashers and fridges."
The move is expected to help reign in carbon dioxide emissions for the continent while also allowing professionally trained repairpeople to make necessary upgrades to appliances that suffer some sort of malfunction. The legislation, according to BBC News, stems from "complaints from consumers across Europe and North America infuriated by machines that break down when they are just out of warranty."
Libby Peake of the UK Green alliance told BBC News: “These new standards are a massive step in the right direction and could result in nearly 50 million tonnes of CO2 emissions savings.” According to the BBC, roughly 20 states in the United States are pursuing similar "right to repair" legislative initiatives.
3 Comments
Apple products should be the next target for this legislation.
Disposable laptops come to mind.
Supposedly there's a newer type of mobile phone (Fairphone 3) that is designed to last longer, both in hardware and software, and has been built in modules to better support user repair. Only available so far in Europe, despite being in its third iteration.
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