Politics
Europe Wants to Give Consumers a ‘Right to Repair’
- EU regulators intend to give consumers a ‘right to repair’
- Bloc’s environment chief cites need to curb electronic waste
Photographer: David Paul Morris/Bloomberg
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Europe is taking consumer rights to a new level with a plan that would require manufacturers of everything from mobile phones to washing machines to offer repairs.
“Most of those devices end up in waste,” European Union Environment Commissioner Virginijus Sinkevicius told reporters on Wednesday in Brussels. “Two out of three European citizens said very clearly that they want their devices -- electronics -- to serve them longer. It means that we have to provide them with the right to repair.”