The Right to Repair

Implications of mandating manufacturers to provide spares

The European Union (EU) is adopting “Right to Repair” regulations for household appliances, which are to come into effect by 2021. This will have a far-reaching impact on industrial design and manufacturing processes. It could also spark copycat legislation in other regions. Many states in the US are contemplating similar regulations and some may opt for wide-ranging versions, bringing automobiles and consumer electronics within the ambit of the Right to Repair.

The new regulations would mean that manufacturers have to provide spares for refrigerators, washing machines, dishwashers, and televisions for up to 10 years and they must also make spares available to independent repairers. This implies making it easy to repair and maintain appliances, and it may also lead to design changes. The EU estimates that Right to Repair regulations may help households save ^150 per year on average (equivalent to about Rs 11,670 at the current exchange rate) and contribute to energy savings equal to the annual energy consumption of Denmark by 2030.

This regulation would tackle two manufacturing trends that have become common. One is a cavalier attitude towards planned obsolescence. The second is a tendency on the part of manufacturers to control the repair and maintenance network.

Planned obsolescence started with the automobile industry, which encourages “upgrades” in the form of new vehicles. It has been embraced by the household appliances segment, where many appliances are deliberately designed to make repairs difficult. For example, washing machines may have the drum-bearing permanently moulded into the tub, making it prohibitively expensive to replace that particular part, which is subject to high wear and tear.

The consumer electronics industry takes this concept even further. Most new smartphone models have sealed batteries that cannot be replaced. Some manufacturers such as Apple use special screws that cannot be handled by commonly available tools.

In addition, manufacturers — and this holds good across segments such as consumer electronics, automobiles, and household appliances — tend to restrict the supply of spares to authorised dealers and authorised workshops. This enables them to charge high margins on such services. It cuts the entire informal repair sector out of the loop, and prevents do-it-yourself repair jobs.

The EU regulations would change this situation because they pertain to household appliances, at least. They would force design changes to eliminate planned obsolescence and would mean far wider availability of spares. This should indeed reduce maintenance and repair costs. Of course, manufacturers will argue, with some justification, that 10 years may be an excessively long period.

Ten years would unquestionably be much too long in the consumer electronics industry, where the turnaround time in terms of new devices, chips, etc. is more like a year. But it would be desirable if similar norms were introduced to ensure that smartphones, television sets, personal computers, and the like were designed to facilitate easy repair. It would also be desirable if consumer electronics manufacturers were mandated to provide spares off the shelf to all and sundry.
 

This might spark radical design changes. The average new smartphone is glued together, making it hard to open without causing damage. It has a battery that is hard to replace. The screen, printed circuit board, and chip cannot be bought off the shelf and some phones have other “wrinkles” such as non-standard screws. Instead, if Right to Repair regulations become effective, smartphones may be redesigned to be easily assembled with modules that could be taken apart and put back by any dexterous individual. The automobile industry could also see tectonic shifts if the Right to Repair became the norm and manufacturers have to make authentic spare parts widely available.

Such regulations could be especially valuable in a country like India, where service networks are often spotty and authorised workshops are few and far between in the hinterland. India’s informal repair sector does a good job with jugaad. But the quality of repair and maintenance services could improve substantially if such legislation was adopted.