These States’ Right to Repair Acts are Big Climate Wins

In September 2023, California became the third state after Minnesota and New York to pass an electronics Right to Repair act. The SB-244 Right to Repair Act will make it easier for consumers to get their electronics repaired without depending on the manufacturers.

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Once Governor Gavin Newsom of California signs this bill, it could potentially revolutionize the electronics industry. Before discussing the act, let's first understand more about the right to repair.

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What is Right to Repair?

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Let’s say you own an iPhone, like 50% of smartphone users in the U.S. You extensively use it for work - scheduling and attending calls, answering messages and emails on the go, and keeping up with your Twitter (sorry, X) account. It is the central hub of your life. And then, out of nowhere, it stops working. Your whole world comes crashing down.

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You decide to get it fixed immediately. But then you suddenly realize that only Apple’s authorized repair provider can repair it.

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Since Apple has a monopoly here, it can charge you a significant amount. After receiving an estimate of the repair costs and the time it will take, you might just give up and decide that it's easier and cheaper to purchase a brand-new phone.

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For years, big tech companies like Apple, Microsoft and Google have been creating barriers like these to incentivize customers to buy new products. As a result, the old ones end up in trash, adding to the problem of e-waste. An estimated 5 billion smartphones were thrown away in 2022.

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Companies like iFixit, a co-sponsor of California’s Right to Repair act, have been advocating for years to make it easier for consumers to repair their gadgets. Enabling consumers to repair their products would increase the lifespan of these devices and reduce e-waste. It would also reduce the production of new devices that require the extraction of rare earth metals.

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However, lobbyists representing tech giants like Apple have consistently opposed the right to repair. The passage of California's Right to Repair act can potentially turn the tide in favor of consumers and the planet.

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What is in California’s Right to Repair act?

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The new law will give consumers in California the freedom to get their electronics repaired at an affordable rate. Consumers would have the option to repair the electronics themselves or get them repaired from repair shops, ending the monopoly of the manufacturers to repair their products.

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Here are some of the highlights of the bill:

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• Manufacturers will no longer dictate the prices of parts, repair fees, cost of software updates, and availability of spare parts and tools.
• Electronic manufacturers will need to provide access to repair materials like parts, tools, documentation, and software for a longer period of time. It is three years for products costing $50 to $99.99 and seven years for products priced at $100 or more.
• These terms are independent of the warranty offered by the manufacturers. So even if the product is out of the warranty period, consumers can get it repaired.
• This is applicable for electronics and appliances made and sold after July 1st, 2021.
• Apart from consumer electronics, this bill is applicable to appliances like dishwashers.
• The bill does not cover devices like alarm systems, video game consoles, farm equipment or medical devices

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Once the bill rolls out in 2024, experts project that it will save California’s households roughly $5 billion per year.