The planned obsolescence of electronic devices is at the heart of some recent initiatives by the European Parliament, according to which it represents not only an example of a lack of transparency towards consumers but also a factor capable of making the circular economy less effective and contributing to a negative environmental impact.

At the heart of the debate would be the so-called right to repair, where the change of a damaged device is no longer an obligatory choice. The aim should also be to extend the life cycle of products as far as possible so as to further limit the production of electronic waste.

In the same way, MEPs would appear to want to stimulate the second-hand market as a means of offering users more choice, a position that is likely to meet with the unfavourable opinion of manufacturers understandably more oriented towards speeding up the replacement of circulating devices as much as possible.

At present, as many as 77% of European citizens would prefer to be able to repair their devices, but this option would often be conditioned by such cumbery process as to make the switch to a newer product more convenient, this also applies to accessories which represent a large part of the electronics market.

In this regard, the European Union would be focusing on mandatory labels, which also report data on obsolescence times, and on the definition of unified standards for components such as chargers. Instead, the European Commission will be responsible for removing all regulatory obstacles that may make repair more complex.

 (Source: Web site Mr. Webmaster News – Author: Claudio Garau –  Ownership of the contents:  IKIweb Internet Media S.r.l.)