E-waste and the right to repair

A topic that regularly surfaces in the context of working towards a more circular economy, is the issue of e-waste and what can be done about our throw away practices.
E-waste covers all types of electrical and electronic equipment, from commonly used household and personal items to IT communications equipment. A review on e-waste will reveal that it is considered to be one of the fastest growing waste streams globally.
Reducing e-waste through recycling has been one focus, however, another solution that has been gaining traction, particularly in the US and Europe, is that of extending the life of a product through the principle of ‘right to repair’. This encompasses the observation that not only do products not last as long, as a result of inferior components or planned obsolescence, but that it can be costly or difficult to repair products owing to the lack of spare parts, manuals and diagnostic information.
Right to repair initiatives are well underway in Europe. A 2022 briefing paper for the European Parliament outlines a raft of EU-wide initiatives that have been and are being implemented. Measures include laying down eco-design requirements for a range of electric/electronic products, to ensure spare parts are available for a specified number of years, and to make maintenance information available to professional repairers.
France enacted law in 2021 requiring manufacturers of mobile phones, front-loading washing machines, electric lawnmowers, laptops and televisions to provide a repairability score (index) for their products. The index assesses 5 criteria: availability of repair documentation, ease of disassembly, parts availability, price of parts, and product specific criteria. It is hoped the index will encourage more sustainable consumption patterns and put pressure on manufacturers to design longer lasting and more repairable products.
In New Zealand, WasteMINZ, in their report ‘Pathways for Right of Repair in Aotearoa New Zealand’ state, “Policies that enable an items repair (over replacement) would better ensure an item is used for its original purpose for as long as possible, before eventually being recycled.”
Consumer NZ has also been advocating in this space. Research they have carried out would indicate there are barriers to repair in New Zealand; which consumers care about. Consumer NZ has also begun to include France’s repairability scores in their product test reports, beginning with mobile phones.
Both Consumer NZ and WasteMINZ see that on the path to unlocking the right to repair in New Zealand the Consumer Guarantees Act (CGA) would need to be amended. As it stands, Section 12 of the CGA provides that the manufacturer is to take reasonable action to ensure that facilities for repair and parts are available for a reasonable period after the goods are supplied. However, Section 42 then allows for manufacturers to be exempted from this requirement where the consumer has been notified that repair facilities and parts will not be made available.
In a circular economy repair plays an important role
in slowing down the use of resources, resulting in fewer greenhouse gas emissions, and reducing waste. For those that want to join Consumer NZ in appealing to the Government, Consumer has a running petition on their website.