European Parliament votes to approve Right to Repair proposal

On Tuesday, the European Parliament voted to approve a strong Right to Repair proposal with the goal of making consumer electronic goods more repairable, with companies required to prioritize repairability over replacement.

The draft legislation has to go through negotiations between the Parliament and the Council before it take effect. If passed, within a legal guarantee period, sellers of electronic products such as Apple would be required to prioritize repair over replacement if it’s cheaper or equal in cost to replacing a good, unless the repair is not feasible or inconvenient for the consumer. The law would also propose to extend the legal guarantee by one year once a product has been fixed.

Consumers would have a right to request repair for products such as washing machines, vacuum cleaners, smartphones and bicycles after the guarantee has expired. To make repairs the more attractive choice for consumers, Members of the European Parliament (MEPs )want producers to offer replacement devices on loan for the duration of the repair. If a product cannot be fixed, a refurbished one could be offered instead.