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Summary
- UK’s new right-to-repair standard came into force from 1 July.
- As per the new rules, now manufacturers of white goods are required to make spare parts of electrical appliances available.
- These rules will increase the life span of electrical appliances by up to 10 years.
The UK’s new right-to-repair standards came into force with effect from 1 July, under which manufacturers of white goods are now legally required to make the spare parts of the electrical appliances available to the consumers. These new standards imply that goods, such as refrigerators, washing machines, dishwashers, freezers as well as TVs, would become easier to repair and cheaper to use, rather than throwing them off at the slightest fault.
As per the UK government, these rules increase the life span of the electrical appliance by close to a decade at the same time, benefiting the environment by producing less waste. These standards are aimed to tackle the premature obsolescence of all the new appliances built deliberately to break down after a certain duration, leading to unnecessary replacement costs to the consumers.
The new rules are designed in a manner that will help in tackling 1.5 million tonnes of electrical waste generated every year by the UK. However, in addition, these rules aim of extending the life span of electrical goods, thereby preventing appliances ending up soon as scrap.
Also Read: What rules are changing in the UK from 1 July?
Energy Minister Anne Marie Trevelyan said the new stricter standards would ensure that goods made can be fixed rather than thrown away as scrap when they stop functioning.
The new right-to-repair rules come as the government made some changes in energy-efficient standards, which will knock an average of £75 per year energy bills, as well as cut carbon emissions.
Climate Change Minister Lord Callanan said: "We can all play our part in saving our environment, even when we are choosing a new electrical appliance." He also said these reforms are helping consumers to make more informed decisions whether a product is eco-friendly or not.
According to Adam French, consumer rights expert of Which? group, most of the time, electrical appliances end up in the landfill, as either they are too costly or too difficult to repair. Now, the new devices will come with repair manuals and appliances will be made in such a way that they will be easy to dismantle using conventional tools. Though the spare parts, which can be fixed by consumers, such as fridge handle or spray tray, will be available to them, the tougher parts or repair job will be left on the professionals only.
Adding further, he said that new rules are in the right direction, after that, the UK government should extend these rules to cover more electrical goods and assure the parts are affordable and available until the product lasts.
In contrast, Libby Peake, head of resource policy at Green Alliance, said that it is not appropriate to say that these rules would create a legal right to repair, as consumers had not been given any rights. The spare parts and repairability criteria are directed only by professional mechanics. Moreover, these new rules offer no guarantee that repair services and spare parts will be affordable.
