EU Votes in Favour of Labeling Electronics with Repairability Scores

The European Parliament has voted to support consumers’ Right to Repair this week, calling for the EU Commission to develop and introduce mandatory labeling of electronics with repairability scores, iFixit is reporting.

The vote seeks the development and introduction of “mandatory labelling, to provide clear, immediately visible and easy-to-understand information to consumers on the estimated lifetime and reparability of a product at the time of purchase.”

The EU motion calls for a repair score, similar to the scores that iFixit has been assigning to gadgets for the past fifteen years. According to a recent EU survey, 77% of EU citizens would rather repair their devices than replace them.

“By adopting this report, the European Parliament sent a clear message: harmonised mandatory labelling indicating durability and tackling premature obsolescence at EU level are the way forward,” said Rapporteur David Cormand, MEP from France.

Matthias Huisken, Director of Advocacy for iFixit Europe, said “This is a huge win for consumers across Europe. This vote will set in motion a wave of new repair-friendly policies, from repair scores at retail to product longevity disclosures.”

The survey also shows that 79% of users want manufacturers to facilitate the repair of digital devices or the replacement of their individual parts.