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Washing machines, vacuum cleaners, and smartphones. These are some of the products that consumers in the EU will be able to get repaired in the future, avoiding the need to buy new ones within a short time. The EU Parliament has adopted new rules that give EU citizens a “right to repair”. The aim of these rules is both to benefit the environment and to make it cheaper for EU citizens.
Christel Schaldemose (S) is one of the Danish members of the EU Parliament who pressed the green button during the vote. She believes that the proposal will herald a cultural change in our relationship with consumption.
”Right now, we are looking into a future where consumption patterns need to change. Our “use and throw away” culture cannot continue. Therefore, I am pleased that we are now setting up frameworks for a more sustainable consumption culture”, says Christel Schaldemose.
The new “right to repair” directive will initially apply to large household appliances and electronic products. This could be computers and phones, for example.
If one’s iPhone needs repair within the warranty period, one can ask the manufacturer Apple to repair the phone instead of providing a new one, highlights Christel Schaldemose as an example. However, she believes the legislation could have been more ambitious by including more products. Schaldemose herself points to bicycles as an obvious product group.
EU consumers will have the right to repair phones and washing machines
The European Parliament votes for new rules giving consumers the right to have expensive goods like phones repaired.
