Right to Repair Laws Commence in the UK

Right to Repair Laws Commence in the UK

The UK government has urged manufacturers to make spares available to consumers, aiming to extend the lifespan of products by up to 10 years.

“These new rules should bring an end to the frustration of having to throw away an item because a small part is no longer working and no longer in stock,” said Colletta Smith, consumer affairs correspondent.

Environmental expert Libby Peake, head of resource policy at Green Alliance, commented saying it “represents a small, first step towards giving people the long-lasting repairable products they want”.

The UK government believes that these new regulations will make appliances (such as washing machines, TVs and fridges and etc.) cheaper to run.

However, Peake argued that “there is also no guarantee that spare parts and repair services will be affordable, so considerable barriers remain to make professional repair center the easiest, default option.”

The BBC pointed out that the right to repair rules are designed to tackle “built-in obsolescence” where manufacturers deliberately build appliances to break down after a certain period to encourage consumers to buy new ones.

Printers are one of the most iconic examples of premature obsolescence and some of the least repairable products brought to community repair events. Meanwhile, printer cartridges are a major source of uncontrolled proliferation of electronic waste in the EU. However, there is some doubt as to whether the printer OEMs will be included when it comes to providing parts for printers and cartridges.

From the industry standpoint, the Right to Repair regulations backs the legitimacy of remanufacturing. The U.S. legislature passed the Right to Repair Act in 2002, partially in response to Aas v. Superior Court, 24 Cal.4th 627 (2000).

About Right to Repair

The Right to Repair campaign was launched in September 2019, and since then quickly grew to over 40 organisations active around the cause of repair from more than 16 European countries.

The campaign members represent community repair groups, environmental activists, social economy actors, self-repair advocates and any citizen who would like to obtain their right to repair.

Related:

• Consumers to Get Repair Rights in Europe
• The Right to Repair Calls for Regulatory Action
• FTC to Champion Consumers’ Repair Right

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