Instead of legislation that simply says that products must be repairable I would prefer to see some form of scaling "repairability tax" on purchases of consumer products.
It would be based on the following...
* The manufacturer making full schematics and service manuals available on the day a product is launched.
* Making all parts and specialised servicing tools available to anyone who wants to buy them.
* Not using unusual fixtures, fastenings or glues.
* Allowing people to downgrade any software if the feel a newer version slows down their otherwise perfectly serviceable device.
The more repairable a product is the less this tax would be, potentially dropping to zero. Crucially, the actual price of the products would play no part in the calculation. Cheap disposable Android tablets would attract the same rate that a high end smartphone would if they were equally as repairable.
I'd also levy a reduced, or even zero, rate of VAT on repair services to encourage repair over replacement.
I don't see a problem with letting people buy non-repairable devices, so long as they pay a levy for the waste it will produce.
> * The manufacturer making full schematics and service manuals available on the day a product is launched.
Reasonable on the surface, but what about trade secrets?
* Making all parts and specialised servicing tools available to anyone who wants to buy them.
That’s reasonable.
* Not using unusual fixtures, fastenings or glues.
What about when those special glues ARE needed? For example: water resistance (IP67).
* Allowing people to downgrade any software if the feel a newer version slows down their otherwise perfectly serviceable device.
The problem is that users are stupid. If you allow people to downgrade, you open them up to security holes. There’s a reason Apple doesn’t let you downgrade iOS, and it’s not money (what money do they make from preventing downgrades?), it’s security. People are gullible and could easily be tricked by some scam site to downgrade their device in order to “win”.
> I don't see a problem with letting people buy non-repairable devices, so long as they pay a levy for the waste it will produce.
What about Apple? If you recycle your device through Apple, they attempt to recycle as much as they can.
It would be based on the following...
* The manufacturer making full schematics and service manuals available on the day a product is launched.
* Making all parts and specialised servicing tools available to anyone who wants to buy them.
* Not using unusual fixtures, fastenings or glues.
* Allowing people to downgrade any software if the feel a newer version slows down their otherwise perfectly serviceable device.
The more repairable a product is the less this tax would be, potentially dropping to zero. Crucially, the actual price of the products would play no part in the calculation. Cheap disposable Android tablets would attract the same rate that a high end smartphone would if they were equally as repairable.
I'd also levy a reduced, or even zero, rate of VAT on repair services to encourage repair over replacement.
I don't see a problem with letting people buy non-repairable devices, so long as they pay a levy for the waste it will produce.