A massive opportunity to transform our throw-away economy could be lost, with the real possibility that Europe's member states water down or vote against key measures in the European Commission's “Circular Economy Package”, which promise more repairable, longer-lasting products. The UK must publicly commit to stop opposing.
Why is this important?
There is greater public support for combating waste than ever before, with the crisis of plastic in the oceans, food waste gaining a massive profile across Europe and the world in the past year. Looking beyond food and packaging, the public wants better products. A survey by the Eurobarometer revealed that 77% of the European public is in favour of more repairable products.
**Globally, this is the year we’re projected to produce nearly 50m tons of electronic waste, which is nearly 1,000 Titanics’ worth.**
The European Commission has worked for years on the Circular Economy Package, with policies to govern resources and waste, including higher targets for recycling and exciting new provisions which will make appliances and electronics more repairable and longer-lasting:
• access to spare parts
• repair documentation
• easier disassembly
It's not just the extreme Eurosceptics in the UK and Italy who are attempting to block these transformative new standards. Manufacturers and other corporate lobbyists are working behind the scenes to scupper the most transformative and pro-planet measures ever proposed.
It's time for the UK to stop preventing Europe from standing up for the majority of its people.
Like most Europeans, we in the UK are also tired of early obsolescence of the products we buy. The European Parliament stood up for the people of Europe last year by voting in support of more repairable electronics.
The UK must support the Right to Repair, which will help our wallets, and save the planet — at once.
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(All of this is occurring against the backdrop of a massive corporate lobby against “Right to Repair” legislation in 18 states in the United States. In the US, electronics manufacturers want to stop people from getting access to refurbished screens, to repair documentation and spare parts.)
More information: https://openrepair.org/news/crucial-opportunity-for-more-repairable-products/
German petition (111,000+ signatures delivered to Environment Minister): https://weact.campact.de/petitions/recht-auf-reparatur
Italian petition (78,000 signatures delivered to Environment Minister): https://www.change.org/p/garantiamo-il-diritto-alla-riparabilit%C3%A0-sergiocosta-min-karmenuvella-ep-president
How it will be delivered
If we get enough signatures, we will deliver the petition to the UK government in London and the UK delegation to the EU, in Brussels.
