Department of Consumer Affairs under the Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food & Public Distribution hosted a National Workshop on the Right to Repair Framework for the Mobile and Electronic Sectors.It discussed the launch of a “Repairability Index” for mobile phones and electronic products to help consumers make informed decisions before purchasing them. The initiative aims to address the growing e-waste problem and encourage manufacturers to produce more easily repairable items.
Key Highlights of the Workshop
- Objective of the Workshop: The workshop aimed to create a consensus among industry stakeholders on establishing a repairability index, promoting product longevity, and democratising repair information to enhance consumer experiences in reusing mobile and electronic products.It helps prevent the need for consumers to buy new products due to a lack of repair options or high repair costs.
- Addressing Planned Obsolescence: The discussions focussed on combating the practice of “planned obsolescence,” where manufacturers restrict access to essential repair information, repair manuals/videos, and spare parts.It highlighted that the lack of repair information and spare parts availability forces consumers to abandon their devices and buy new ones, or to seek risky counterfeit parts from grey markets (unofficial market).
- International Best Practices: The sessions emphasised integrating international best practices from France, the European Union, the United Kingdom and designing products for longevity to enhance repairability.Discussions covered the importance of sustainable product design, ecological concerns, and the need to shift from a “use and dispose” economy to a “circular economy” and promote “mindful utilisation” over “mindless consumption.”
Key Facts about the Repairability Index
- Definition: The repairability index is a mandatory label that manufacturers will display on electrical and electronic equipment to provide information about the product’s repairability.
- Criteria for Rating Products: The repairability index will evaluate products based on:
- Availability of Technical Documents: Access to manuals and guides that assist in repairing the product.
- Ease of Disassembly: How easily a product can be taken apart to access and repair components.
- Availability and Pricing of Spare Parts: How readily available spare parts are and their cost to consumers.
- Scoring System of the Repairability Index: Products will be scored on a scale from 1 to 5.
- Score of 1: Products with a high risk of damage and that require dismantling multiple components to access a single part.
- Score of 5: Products that are easy to repair, with direct access to key parts like the battery or display without unnecessary disassembly.
Right to Repair
- The right to repair for consumer goods refers to allowing end users, consumers as well as businesses, to repair devices they own or service without any manufacturer or technical restrictions.
- It prevents manufacturers from restricting repairs to their authorised services by limiting access to tools, parts, and documentation.
Features of the Right to Repair
- Access to Information: Consumers should have access to repair manuals, schematics, and software updates.
- Availability of Parts and Tools: Third parties and individuals should be able to access the necessary parts and tools for repairs.
- Legal Unlocking: Consumers should be allowed to unlock or modify devices, such as installing custom software.
- Repair-Friendly Design: Devices should be designed for easy repair.
Need of the Right to Repair
- Growing e-waste: The difficulty in repairing devices leads to an increase in electronic waste. India is the world’s third largest contributor to e-waste, with roughly 3.2 million metric tonnes of e-waste created every year, trailing only China and the United States.
- Monopoly of Repairs: Manufacturers often create barriers to third-party repairs, which limits consumer choice and increases costs.
- Planned Obsolescence: Companies design products with a limited lifespan to encourage frequent replacements.
- Sustainability: It will help to achieve circular economy goals by extending the life of appliances and improving their maintenance, reuse, upgrading, recyclability, and waste handling.