Legislative initiative: Labels with the repairability index on electrical and household appliances
Two USR parliamentarians have initiated a bill that stipulates that electrical and household appliances in stores should have a new “repairability index” label, so that buyers know from the start whether an appliance can be easily repaired or not.
The legislative initiative submitted by USR parliamentarians Pollyanna Hangan and Remus Negoi aims to help consumers make informed choices, following the model of the label on the nutritional value of food products, according to a press release sent on Saturday by USR and quoted by Agerpres.
“The repairability index offers consumers more durable and easy-to-maintain products, gives manufacturers the opportunity to differentiate themselves in a highly competitive market, and also contributes to protecting the environment by reducing e-waste, which is now constantly increasing,” says USR MP Pollyanna Hangan.
The legislative project transposes into the Romanian legislation the provisions of the European Directive 2024/1799 regarding the common norms for the promotion of the repair of goods, a directive that should be applied at the level of the EU states until July 31, 2026, states the quoted source.
The main objective is to encourage an increase in the repair rate of electrical and electronic products to a level of at least 60% by July 31, 2030.
“The purchasing behavior of a citizen also depends on the way he knows, from the beginning, whether the respective equipment will be easily repaired or not. This repairability index will help him decide, in addition to the price, brand, energy index, design and others, that that equipment is what he needs. Buyers win, efficient producers win, we win a clean environment, having equipment with a longer life span”, states USR Senator Remus Negoi.
What products will it apply to?
In a first stage, the repairability index will be applied to several categories of pilot products: washing machines (including washing machines, tumble dryers, tumble dryers and dishwashers), televisions, refrigeration equipment (refrigerators, refrigerators, refrigerators), heating plants, air conditioners with or without inverter, vacuum cleaners, electric lawn mowers. Later, the index can be gradually extended to other types of electrical and electronic products, say the initiators.
The repairability index will be between 1 and 10 (the higher value indicates a greater degree of repairability) and will be visibly displayed on the product packaging, but also at the point of sale (physical or online), near the price.
The index will be calculated according to five main criteria, including how long the manufacturer makes technical documentation available to repairers and consumers, ease of disassembly/disassembly, availability of components, free remote assistance and access to repair services.
The introduction of the index will make manufacturers, importers, intra-community purchasers, distributors and traders responsible, in order to include repairability criteria from the product design stage, it will encourage the development of products that can be easily repaired, the quoted source says.
The legislative proposal was developed following consultation with professional organizations, employers' organizations and representatives of the public authorities that will have the role of implementation and enforcement (Ministry of the Environment, Ministry of the Economy, National Authority for Consumer Protection), the release states.
