The end of programmed obsolescence?

The famous equation "buy, throw, buy" may have the days counted

A group of players use their computers during a computer games championship in Cologne. WOLFGANG RATTAY REUTERS

The famous equation "buy, throw, buy", which defines the consumer society in its wildest aspect, can have the days counted if the plans of the European Parliament prosper so that damaged equipment can be easily repaired. To end the programmed obsolescence, this practice according to which the useful life of appliances and electronic devices would have been previously determined by the manufacturer, is possible if there is political will. To avoid the sudden death of the washing machine, the sudden black cast of a television or the idle of a printer without an apparent reason, manufacturers have to get down to work.

Increasing recycling and repair is part of the EU circular economy plan. According to the recommendations of the European Parliament, the major brands of electronics and computer technology should allow the parts (a battery, for example) to be removed from the devices in order to replace them with new ones without difficulty. In addition, users should have the possibility to go to any repair shop to extend the life of their mobile phones, computers, tablets, irons or hair dryers without having to go to the official service of the manufacturer. "We have to recover the ability to repair the products. Make sure that the batteries are not glued to the phone, but bolted, so that they can be changed instead of having to throw the mobile if the battery fails, "said the MEP of the group of Greens Pascal Durand, who has championed this initiative .

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In this endeavor, Parliament urges the Commission, the Member States and industry to create a specific label for easy-to-repair products and to extend the guarantee in the case of others where failures occur all too often. EU surveys indicate that three out of four consumers would prefer to try to repair a failed product rather than buy a new one. But the reality is that the second option is almost always cheaper than the first.

Having products at your fingertips will be good news for those consumers not obsessed with having the latest model of mobile or the most modern camera on the market. The companies will also win, to which tax benefits will be applied if their objects are likely to pass through the repair shop.

But everything in its right measure. In sectors where technology is advancing at high speed (computers, mobiles, televisions) rapid replacement can be beneficial. Making products that reach almost eternal life may not be the most profitable from an ecological point of view. The refrigerator of 20 years ago was less efficient than the current ones, and last century cars consumed much more fuel than modern utilities. Although relics such as the light bulb that have been in the Livermore-Pleasanton Fire Department for more than a century still survived, industry and consumption are on their way