Today, the European Parliament adopted its position on the Ecodesign regulation for the trilogue negotiations with the Council. MEPs drafted a law that will establish new manufacturing rules for e.g. tech and fashion companies, aiming to significantly reduce the environmental impact by setting circular design criteria on most consumer goods in the EU. Pirate Party Members of the European Parliament, active proponents of the ‘right to repair’ directive which pursues similar circular economy targets, welcome the mandate.
Patrick Breyer, Member of the European Parliament for the German Pirate Party, comments:“Consumers stand to benefit immensely from this legislation. We want to ban planned obsolescence particularly for digital consumer goods. Manufacturers must not be allowed to limit the lifetime of a product to maximise profits. According to our mandate, manufacturers will also need to make available software updates and cannot simply run away from their products. Consumers will have access to repair guidelines, not only mechanics. As consumers in the digital age, we should have a right to control, repair and modify the technology that shapes our lives – this is our conviction as Pirates.”
Marcel Kolaja, Member and Quaestor of the European Parliament for the Czech Pirate Party and Member of the Committee on the Internal Market and Consumer Protection, comments:
“Unfortunately, it’s not uncommon to throw away a product that still works and we would prefer continue using it. However, a repair of a minor flaw would be too expensive. We may have gotten used to it, but it’s a problem worth addressing. Both because of our wallets and because of the environmental impact. Ban on products that are faulty “by design” and compliance with ecodesign requirements such as affordable and accessible repair will save every European family between €650 and €1800 every year. And the benefits for our environment will be priceless. Another important aspect of the legislation is the ban on the disposal of functional but unsold products, such as electronic and textiles. This kind of wasteful behavior happens with the sole aim of not reducing market prices and it is unacceptable. Even more so at a time when we are hearing calls from the same producers for more sensible ways of consuming, as a way of their greenwashing techniques.”
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