Legislation Pushes Tech Companies to Expand Right to Repair

• Regulation Drives Parts Access: In November 2023, the European Parliament voted in favour of stronger right-to-repair legislation, which would make repairs of broken goods cheaper and easier, encouraging sustainable consumption in the process. The bill states that independent refurbishers and end users should have access to spare parts, repairs information and tools at an affordable cost.
  
  
• No More Parts Pairing: In March 2024, Oregon and Colorado in the US banned parts pairing, where the serial number of a component – like a screen – is digitally paired with the serial number of a device. Parts pairing creates a significant obstacle for repair-minded consumers and third-party repair shops, as new (non-paired) parts can make devices malfunction. The practice forces consumers to use brand-provided services to fix broken products, leading to higher repair prices and increased levels of new product purchases.
  
  
• Independent Repairs Are OK: Following legislation, Apple will relax its limits on independent repairs for certain products (iPhone 15 or newer). From autumn 2024, used Apple parts won’t impact the functionality of repaired devices. Meanwhile, Samsung is expanding its self-repair programme, adding more parts and support for more products (including its foldable Galaxy phones and tablets, plus TVs, monitors and projectors produced from 2023 onwards) for DIY repairs.
  
  
• Consumer Appetite for Repairs: Consumers want to repair products instead of replacing them: 92% of Germans think repairs should be more cost-effective than replacing products (Deloitte, 2023), but 57% of people across Germany, the US and the UK say repairing consumer electronics is too expensive (Klarna, 2024).

For more, see Five Game-Changing Green Tech Trends.