The EU has adopted a directive aimed at encouraging the repair of common household products. Companies are expected to make replacement parts readily available. What could this mean for Europe's economy? Many European consumers today find themselves having to replace broken household appliances, such as hand-held mixers or white goods like fridges and dishwashers, even though they are technically fixable.
This is because spare parts are often either prohibitively expensive or simply unavailable. Additionally, some products are designed in ways that complicate or prevent repairs altogether. Ian Williams from the University of Southampton says many manufacturers are "deliberately" building products that are "designed for replacement, not repair.
" Rüdiger Kühr, the head of the United Nations' Sustainable Cycles Programme (SCYCLES), also thinks that "some prominent brands are trying to avoid repairs altogether, or easy repairs, because they want to control this business." Kühr is the lead author of the latest which is annually compiled by the United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR). Allegations like those made by Kühr are naturally rejected by companies.
They claim they are not deliberately disincentivizing repairs, and cite product liability issues arising from third-party repairs as the reason why their products are difficult to repair. Pile of electronic waste set to grow The E-waste Monitor 2024 clearly states that the amount of has been increasing.
