An unprecedented step has been taken at the European Parliament. MEPs at the internal market and consumer protection committee (IMCO) have called on the European Commission to take measures to reduce built-in obsolescence in products and software. This appeal was made in an own initiative report almost unanimously adopted, except for one vote (34 votes in favour, with one abstention) on Tuesday 30 May.
On this occasion, the rapporteur for the text, Pascal Durand (Greens, France) stated that “The European Union has never had a global approach on product life cycles before”. He added that the text as it stood covered product design, repairs and reuse.
The MEPs on the IMCO committee are therefore calling on the Commission to propose a definition of built-in obsolescence at European level for both products and software. But they are not stopping there and are requesting that the Commission introduces an independent system linked to the market monitoring authorities, so that they can detect products displaying built-in obsolescence characteristics. In this regard, MEPs are calling for strengthened legal protection for whistleblowers. They are also looking at the possibility of introducing “dissuasive” measures to discourage manufacturers from continuing to foster built-in obsolescence.
Although the text has been the subject of many amendments, the original substance and structure have been maintained. It also includes the many points contained in the opinion of the environment committee (ENVI). MEPs are therefore proposing some kind of change to the economic paradigm by shifting towards a model based on “use” and by concentrating on the whole life cycle of products and software. For example, during the design phase, MEPs advocate a range of minimum resistance criteria and measures to help businesses that want to prolong the life-cycle of their products. During purchases, they are calling for consumer information to be improved and for subsequent repairs to be encouraged by reducing the number of “irremovable” parts and by strengthening consumer protection.
The text was expected to be put to a vote during the May plenary session but was postponed due to negotiating difficulties, particularly because the shadow rapporteur for the EPP, Adam Szejnfeld, from Poland, had significant misgivings during the presentation of the text (see EUROPE 11720). MEPs will reach a position during the July plenary.
At a European level, only the European Economic and Social Committee has been able to examine the question in an opinion dating back to October 2013. In this report, the EESC made a distinction between several kinds of built-in obsolescence: technical, indirect, incompatibility and, finally, psychological, as created by marketing campaigns.
At national level, several member states have already taken the bull by the horns and have created legislation to limit and counter built-in obsolescence, such as Belgium, France, Finland, Spain, Austria and Sweden. (Original version in French by Pascal Hansens)