Right to repair/consumer package

The European Commission presented its Consumer package today. The package includes two proposals for sustainable consumption: the Right to Repair is to be enshrined in law. The Greens/EFA welcome the proposal for a right to repair and will push for an extension of the warranty in the upcoming negotiations on the Right to Repair. The proposal for a Right to Repair Directive was already planned for July 2022 and has been postponed several times. 

Also included in the Consumer package is a proposal for a Green Claims Directive on the claimed environmental performance of products and services. It is intended to ensure that companies provide reliable and scientifically robust information about the environmental friendliness of their products and services. 

Anna Cavazzini MEP, Chair of the Internal Market and Consumer Protection Committee and Greens/EFA shadow rapporteur on the right to repair, welcomes the proposal:

"The right to repair and the circular economy are inseparable. Choosing to repair things instead of throwing them away saves valuable resources and money. Therefore, the right to repair is overdue. We, the Greens/EFA, welcome the Commission's proposal to give priority to repair under the legal guarantee. Defective smartphones, washing machines, or refrigerators should be repaired as a standard and not simply replaced by a new product. Making sure independent workshops can also carry out the repairs is welcome. 

“In the upcoming negotiations, we will fight to ensure that consumers are not left to bear the costs of repairs. In order to boost the repair market and make repairing affordable, we need an extension of the legal guarantee to the expected lifetime of a product. This way, it is worthwhile for consumers to buy a long-lasting product that can be repaired for them free of charge during the specified period. Short-lived junk products thus disappear from the market.”

Sara Matthieu MEP, Greens/EFA member of the Committee on the Environment and shadow rapporteur on Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation, comments:

“The right to repair must go hand in hand with mandatory requirements on the sustainability of products and their clear labelling. We call for a repair index with clear information on service life and repair possibilities. Spare parts and instructions must also be easily accessible and affordable to independent repairers and citizens so that corporate giants like Apple no longer dictate the rules for repair. 

“We welcome the proposal for robust information on how environmentally friendly products and services actually are. Clear, scientifically sound and independently verified statements as well as reliable environmental labels on sustainability put the purchase decision for sustainable products and services back into the hands of consumers. Especially false claims of climate neutrality of products should be banned."