Right to Repair – Ecodesign Legislation

The European Commission’s Ecodesign regulations were published on 1 October 2019. These regulations will boost repair for products such as refrigerators, washing machines, dishwashers and televisions by requiring that they are longer lasting and more repairable, and that spare parts will be available to professional repairers for up to 10 years. The regulations will apply from 2021.

These measures are welcome by CRNI whose members carry out repair and reuse throughout the country. In the meantime, to ensure reuse and repair are prioritised ahead of recycling in line with the waste hierarchy in Ireland, financial measures will be needed to support repair organisations to meet stringent standards and insurance costs.

For more on these new regulations see the RREUSE network Europe, which has campaigned for the “right to repair” or the Commission’s own press release here.

• October 3, 2019