As part of our push for EU regulation requiring manufacturers to make more repairable products, this morning we joined forces with Brussels-based partners to organise a flashmob to ask EU member states to stand for our right to repair our appliances and prevent unnecessary waste.
Today, member states will be voting on repairability criteria for dishwashers, to be followed by a final vote on washing machines on January 10th.
We asked EU member states to make appliances more repairable and give timely access to all spare parts and repair information to all European citizens – and not just to “professional” repairers approved by appliance manufacturers. Our technical recommendations contain more detail.
The votes on dishwashers and washing machines are part of a season of votes by all EU member states which are for the first time bringing repairability requirements for manufacturers of products to be sold in Europe.
In December, initial criteria were agreed for fridges, televisions and lighting. However, successful pressure from industry lobby groups has severely limited access to spare parts and repair information for non “professional” repairers, while granting manufacturers the final say on who qualifies as “professional”.
The vote on washing machines is particularly important, given that they’ve been increasingly designed to make it hard if not impossible to repair.
The event was organised by ECOS, EEB, iFixit, Netwerk Bewust Verbruiken, Repair Together, RREUSE, The Restart Project and other organisations.
Not before time, we are a group that collect and repair for museums and have washing machines, vacs and household appliances going back 70 years that work regularly !!