Repair not replace

THE European Commission has adopted a new proposal on common rules promoting the repair of goods which will result in savings for consumers.

Over the last decades, a replacement has often been prioritised over repair whenever products become defective and insufficient incentives have been given to consumers to repair their goods when the legal guarantee expires.

The proposal will make it easier and more cost­effective for consumers to repair as opposed to replace goods.

Additionally, more demand will translate into a boost to the repair sector while incentivising producers and sellers to develop more sustainable business models.

The proposal will ensure that more products are repaired within the legal guarantee and that consumers have easier and cheaper options to repair products that are technically repairable

(such as vacuum cleaners, or soon, tablets and smartphones) when the legal guarantee has expired or when the good is not functional anymore as a result of wear and tear.

This proposal is part of the European Commission’s broader goal of becoming the first climate­neutral continent by 2050.

Ending greenwashing

THE European Commission is proposing common criteria against greenwashing and misleading environmental claims.

Under the proposal, consumers will have more clarity, stronger reassurance that when something is sold as green, it actually is green, and better quality information to choose environment­friendly products and services. Businesses will also benefit, as those that make a genuine effort to improve the environmental sustainability of their products will be more easily recognised and rewarded by consumers.

This way, the proposal will help establish a level playing field when it comes to infor­ mation about environmental performance of products. A Commission study from 2020 highlighted that 53.3 per cent of examined environmental claims in the EU were found to be vague, misleading or unfounded and 40 per cent were unsubstantiated. The absence of common rules for companies making voluntary green claims leads to ‘greenwashing’ and creates an uneven playing field in the EU’s market, to the disadvantage of genuinely sustainable companies.

According to the proposal, when companies choose to make a ‘green claim’ about their products or services, they will have to respect minimum norms.