EU Right to Repair Law

[Maximilian Hohmann]

Hello!

(03-03-2021 01:20 PM)Albert Chan Wrote:  I am not sure a "right to repair law" can shift this break-even point.

This law is not about money but about avoiding useless waste. It cannot be that a washing machine (100kg of almost undestroyable metal and plastic parts which could theoretically last for generations, just like the house around it!) has to be thrown into a landfill after five years because some failed electronic piece inside is either totally inacessible for service or made with parts that are no longer available after such a short period. The only reason for total replacement should be technical advance which makes newer products much less water and enegery hungry.

Many years ago in my university years, we had a washing machine from AEG, which was left behind by the previous occupant of the appartment, probably because he could not find anyone willing to help him carry that thing down four stairs. It was already old then and a really big, heavy and loud monster of a machine. The only downside was that it took enormous amounts of water and therefore also needed a lot of electricity to heat that up. Therefore when we moved out we did the same as the guy before us... I wonder if it is still in use. After that we bought one from Miele which was then the most water and energy efficient washing machine on the market. It still works perfectly now, more than 30 years later. It only required servicing once when the pressure sensor that measures the water level had to be replaced, for which the technician required about 15 minutes. This is the kind of product which the European lawmakers had in mind with their new legislation.

Regards
Max