Right To Repair
CAW continues to promote waste diversion and the recycling of organics through composting. Right to Repair is the notion that consumers have a right to fix their stuff, whether by doing it themselves or taking their devices to an independent repair shop. Manufacturers, from tractor companies to big tech, can block simple repairs by limiting available parts, tools, and guides to their authorized repair shops. Oftentimes, manufacturers deem these repairs “not possible” or strategically price repairs at a point that manufacturers know will force consumers to upgrade to a newer, more expensive device.
Why Repair?
The Right to Repair lies at the intersection of issues such as consumer rights, corporate monopolies, and e-waste. According to CalPIRG, California families spend an average of $1,767 per year on new or upgraded electronic devices. Without the right to repair, these household tech replacements cost Californians $5 billion each year.
From an environmental perspective, Right to Repair plays a key role in reducing the looming e-waste issue. On average, Californians get rid of 46,900 cellphones each day. Many of these phones end up in landfills, where they can leach toxic materials like lead, cadmium, and mercury into the surrounding soils and groundwater. Right to Repair helps to slow the pace at which Californians are landfilling their electronic devices and appliances. This upstream approach not only prevents devices from heading to the landfill, it also reduces emissions attributed to the manufacturing process. Mining, transportation, and assembly are all energy and carbon-intensive steps in the process of making a new device or appliance. Research from PIRG states that if consumers, collectively, kept our smartphones for one extra year, the emissions reductions would equate to taking 636,000 cars off the road.
SB 244 - California’s Right to Repair Act
Senator Susan Talamantes-Eggman has introduced various iterations of Right to Repair in the California State Legislature over the course of her legislative career. Her previous versions of Right to Repair were swiftly killed by industry lobbyists before they could gain traction in policy and fiscal committees. This year’s SB 244 has passed its policy committees in both the California Senate and Assembly, including a Senate Floor vote of 38-0, reflecting strong bipartisan support. The bill is awaiting a hearing in the Assembly Appropriations Committee.
SB 244 requires manufacturers to provide the necessary parts, tools, and repair guides to a consumer or third-party repair shop upon request. If passed, SB 244 applies retroactively to consumer electronics and appliances dating back to 2021. This policy would be enforceable by the California Attorney General’s office, giving the state the power to penalize entities that are in violation of the act.
Read more about…
Tractor and Farm Equipment Right to Repair – CO
How to repair your own devices (it’s not as hard as you think!) – iFixIt