Reuse, Refurbish, Repair - A contribution to the Repair Index

January 2021, the so-called repair index was introduced in France. This means that from now on, all technical devices should no longer convince with their design, but instead with their sustainability. This is intended to give consumers a sense of sustainability and manufacturers incentives to introduce repairable devices. What is the repair index? Electronic devices are rated based on their repairability. Based on a score between 0 and 10, buyers can see how repairable different electronic devices are and use this to decide which device is the most repairable when they buy the product. Currently, the index is applied to the product families of smartphones, televisions, laptops, washing machines and lawn mowers. How does the repair index work? To be able to measure the final score of a device, a product goes through five different categories. The device can receive a maximum of 20 points per category, meaning the maximum total points an electronic device can receive is 100 points. Dividing this number by 10 gives the final index: a value between 1 and 10. The higher the score, the better the device can be repaired. The value is visible to buyers by means of a sticker on the corresponding product. France has set itself the goal of being able to have 60% of electronic devices repaired in the future. Limits of the index Despite the good push, limitations of the index may occur. For example, some spare parts may already become unavailable within a few years. In this case, a product that is considered very good repairable may suddenly be irreparable and still have the “very good” badge. For this reason, consumers should additionally look at the rating table listed to see the individual scores in the categories. Furthermore, there is currently no higher authority that reviews manufacturers. All manufacturers rate themselves, which is why some information could simply be “forgotten”. Conclusion and situation in Germany At the current time, no repair index has been introduced in Germany as in France. Since March 01, 2021, the Ecodesign Directive has been extended, which means that manufacturers of certain electronic products are obliged to make spare parts more available and to repair electrical appliances instead of throwing them away. At Synerlogis, we are committed to repairing and refurbishing electronic equipment instead of throwing it away. We have been working on the principle of Circular Economy from the very beginning, aiming to protect resources and reduce e-waste. So, let’s join forces to strengthen the repair of electronic devices and thus reduce our ecological footprint! True to the motto: Reuse, Refurbish, Repair!