The terms governing the obligation of distributors and producers to provide information on the repairability index of certain products have been modified from this Friday, November 4. The repairability index aims to inform the potential buyer about the degree of repairability of a device. This measure has already been in force since January 1, 2021. Until now, only 5 product categories have been affected: porthole washing machines, televisions, smartphones, laptops and lawnmowers.
New categories of products, four in number, will now also be subject to this obligation. Top-loading washing machines, dishwashers, pressure washers and finally vacuum cleaners of all kinds: robots, corded or cordless. This enlargement should not be the last, according to La Dépêche.
The repairability index takes the form of a score out of 10: the higher the number, the more repairable the device. A color code also accompanies the note, ranging from red to green. Many criteria are taken into account: the duration of availability of the technical documentation of the device, the ease of disassembly, the tools necessary for this, the duration of availability of spare parts and finally the cost of spare parts compared to at its new price.
This index should, from 2024, evolve and change its name, to become a “sustainability index”. New criteria should then be taken into account in the rating, such as the robustness and reliability of the devices.
This blue-white-red device would have inspired our neighbors, and even the European Union. Indeed, a European repairability index is in the process of being developed. It should, initially, only apply to smartphones and digital tablets, according to ecologie.gouv.
