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posted by martyb on Friday March 13 2020, @11:13PM   Printer-friendly
from the it-must-be-a-European-thing dept.

Europe Wants a 'Right to Repair' Smartphones and Gadgets

The European Union is seeking to help consumers fix or upgrade devices, rather than replace them, as part of a 30-year push to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

LONDON — Hoping to replace that two-year-old smartphone in a few months? The European Union wants you to think twice about doing that.

The bloc announced an ambitious plan on Wednesday that would require manufacturers of electronic products, from smartphones to tumble driers, to offer more repairs, upgrades and ways to reuse existing goods, instead of encouraging consumers to buy new ones.

[ . . . ] "The linear growth model of 'take-make-use-discard' has reached its limits," Virginijus Sinkevicius, the union's environment commissioner, told reporters in Brussels as he presented the "Circular Economy Action Plan," which includes the "right to repair" initiative.

"We want to make sure that products placed on E.U. market are designed to last longer, to be easier to repair and upgrade, easier to recycle and easier to reuse," he added.

Hopefully this would put an end to the waste and cost associat... Look! Over there! A new Shiny!


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  • (Score: 2) by sjames on Saturday March 14 2020, @07:55AM (1 child)

    by sjames (2882) on Saturday March 14 2020, @07:55AM (#971087) Journal

    The waterproofing thing is a bit of a half truth. It is true that waterproofing means the typical slide to open style battery door is not going to work. It does not mean sealing the thing so that even a decently skilled 3rd party tech can't do it without permanent damage and expensive special tools. Screws and gaskets will be just fine.

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  • (Score: 2) by GDX on Saturday March 14 2020, @10:30AM

    by GDX (1950) on Saturday March 14 2020, @10:30AM (#971131)

    Well waterproofing. a phone maintaining the battery removable only add ad most 1mm and cost a couple of dollars.