Climate change: 'Right to repair' gathers force

BBC News ^ | January 9, 2019 | By Roger Harrabin, BBC environment analyst

[Oldeconomybuyer]

It is frustrating: you buy a new appliance then just after the warranty runs out, it gives up the ghost.

You can’t repair it and can’t find anyone else to at a decent price, so it joins the global mountain of junk.

You’re forced to buy a replacement, which fuels climate change from the greenhouse gases released in the manufacturing process.

But help is at hand, because citizens in the EU and parts of the USA will soon get a "right to repair" - of sorts.

This consists of a series of proposals from European environment ministers to force manufacturers to make goods that last longer and are easier to mend.

The European proposals refer to lighting, televisions and large home appliances.

At least 18 US states are considering similar laws in a growing backlash against products which can’t be prised apart because they’re glued together, or which don’t have a supply of spare parts, or repair instructions.

Plans for the EU Ecodesign Directive are complex and controversial. Manufacturers say the proposed rules on repairability are too strict and will stifle innovation.

Consumer campaigners complain the EU Commission has allowed firms to keep control of the repair process by insisting some products are mended by professionals under the control of manufacturers.

The European Environmental Bureau (EEB) said: “This restricts the access of independent repairers to spare parts and information - and that limits the scope and affordability of repair services.” The EEB also wants other products like smart phones and printers included in the legislation.

[M Kehoe]

Hi.

I’ve owned a few homes. Both rent and occupy.

GE appliances went from great to sh!t in less than four years.

Unfortunately, I can relate to the article.

5.56mm

[gibsonguy]

“You’re forced to buy a replacement, which fuels climate change”

Just ridiculous.

[Buckeye McFrog]

I wonder how I survived being a Child living in America.

Me too. The risk frankly did not come from an old car seat in my dad's Chevy II Nova. It came several years later when I and all the other boys in the neighborhood all tried to one-up each other trying to be Evel Knievel on our bikes.

My mom would have ridden a Greyhound bus all the way to Montana just to kick that man in the groin.

[lightman]

Ping

[lastchance]

I had no idea this was a climate change issue. It is a consumer’s rights issue. The counter argument that it threatens intellectual property rights should of course be addressed and resolved. But holding consumers and their wallets hostage is not the answer.

[VanDeKoik]

I love the throwaway culture.

Since I know how to fix a lot of that stuff, I can always get around the more simple proprietary screws and glue schemes and have it working in a day.

But yeah, people ought not have to go through heck just to replace a fuse.

[Kickass Conservative]

Their Climate Change hysteria caused the manufacture of these new “green” appliances that cannot do the job and are more complex than the old appliances that lasted for decades.

[wildcard_redneck]

I notice that this proposal doesn't cover the really big ticket items like farm equipment and vehicles. On modern harvesters if a part breaks often times even if it is replaced with an original manufacturer's part the harvester's software system will not recognize the replaced part and the farmer has no access to the software. This means that either an authorized repairman come to the farm or the farmer is forced to haul it into the authorized dealer repair shop.

[fireman15]

The reason these things don't last as long is DIRECTLY related to Global Warming and energy efficiency standards.

We bought a new dishwasher. Our old one could do a load in half an hour, and since we are in the habit of rinsing all the crud off of them before we put them in the machine, they come out fine. The shortest cycle on the new one is 3 hours, but it uses only about a gallon or two of water, but considerably more electricity. This is the result of water efficiency standards, a machine that uses a couple pennies less water but twenty cents more electricity and takes 6 times longer. Thank you government interference.

[Openurmind]

It’s incredible that our society just keeps bending over and allowing this to happen without even questioning it. If we quite accepting it and start asking “WHY? PROVE IT!” it will continue. They don’t even have to prove why we need this stuff anymore, it just flies completely uncontested without question.

Like all the trouble and expense Ca’s “Known by the state of ca that used motor may cause cancer” ideology has caused. Where? When? How do they “know”? Bet they can’t prove even one viable case where this has actually happened... ever. Yet most are now all scared to death of used motor oil for no reason.

[Buckeye McFrog]

I have a reputation as being one of FR’s top Millenial bashers. But frankly this is WHY. 90% of them just accept whatever drivel streams at them through their smart phones, without taking a minute to think about it or give any critical analysis.

Once enough of us die this country is SOOOOOO SCROOOOOOD.

[Openurmind]

Good for you because you are right. Even as well as I raised my own kids who now have kids of their own, I have to remind them to stop and reassess what is trending and not allow themselves to be foolish enough to get drug into it. And they know full well better, they were raised very independent in the country and brought up in a business environment with hatred for irrational over-regulation.

[Cen-Tejas]

To all you climate changers out there, if you want to improve just about ANYTHING in the USA, including your fraudulent Climate Change, here’s a few tips:

1. Term Limits for all Public Office Holders everywhere in the US
2. Like Texas, limit legislatures sessions to once every two years for six months.
3. Pass a law forcing non military federal employment to half of what it is today.

4. Abolish nearly all federal agencies.

5. Balance the budget

6. Build the wall.

7. Enforce E verify and Voter ID.

8. Abolish the Income Tax and IRS with it. Replace with a revenue neutral National Sales Tax.

The spinoff from items 1 - 8 would help the environment more than 1 more dumbass regulation.

[Ancesthntr]

“This consists of a series of proposals from European environment ministers to force manufacturers to make goods that last longer and are easier to mend.”

---

Ah, yes, the government again intervening in the free market. All that this will do (if adopted) is to increase the price of the goods affected. After all, longer-lasting machinery needs to be built from better materials and also be better designed...neither of which is free. If things are easier to fix, that again requires better design, along with a supply of spare parts, and space in which to store all of the spare parts, and employees and a manufacturing facility to MAKE the spare...none of which is free. Oh, and then the manufacturers will HAVE to charge more for these appliances because longer-lasting equipment will very adversely affect their bottom line for years (or, more likely, decades) into the future.

BTW, I would bet that for just about any of the appliances mentioned, there are already manufacturers who make better, longer-lasting, products...but you probably pay 40% - 100% more for the product.

In the meantime, by pricing more people out of the market (which is ALL that this proposal will do), you will wind up with a bunch of poor folks trying to jury-rig the electrical components of their broken appliances, leading to many more fires and deaths going forward. I’d venture to say that the additional fires will add so much pollution to the atmosphere that it will offset any savings of pollution related to better appliances.

In summary, I’ll quote the great philosopher Ringo Starr:

“Everything that the government touches, turns to shit.”

[wally_bert]

I’m a decent mr.fixit guy and can get a little more life out this poorly made stuff of today in some cases.

[fruser1]

This problem with appliances today occurs because manufacturers are trying to comply with eco nazi regulations. Get rid of the regs and they can start using the more reliable, albeit less green, components.

[Calvin Locke]

Didn't Maytag relocate the manufacturing ops to Mexico a while ago?

Besides, the industry has been consolidating for years. Can't remember who owns Maytag now. Electrolux, perhaps?

[shelterguy]

I’m a decent mr.fixit guy and can get a little more life out this poorly made stuff of today in some cases.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Yup. My pickup has 295,000 miles on it. Runs great. Fixed my old dryer this summer. Simple fix but hiring “the guy” would have cost more than it is worth because he would have replaced everything instead of just fixing a bad wire.

[bigdaddy45]

It doesn’t sound good. It sounds stupid. It means manufacturers will have to make and stockpile parts for old, obsolete appliances (i.e. CRT televisions), OR just stop innovating altogether.

[dead]

Not a place for government intervention, the market should be allowed to sort it out, but the companies who design planned obsolescence into their products should drop dead.