On Wednesday 12 January, the European Commission launched a public consultation on sustainable consumption, open until 5 April, in view of a proposal for a directive on the right to repair defective products purchased by consumers.
According to the Commission’s work programme, the initiative will aim to extend the useful life of goods, which is expected in the third quarter of 2022 (see EUROPE 12814/4).
It will encourage consumers to make more sustainable choices by providing incentives and tools to use goods for longer, including repairing defective goods they have purchased (see EUROPE 12609/2).
It will also encourage producers to design goods that last longer and are easily repairable.
Doing so will promote a resource-efficient and environmentally friendly circular economy, in line with the European Green Deal (see EUROPE 12444/1).
“To achieve our ecological transition goals, we must ensure that resources are used sustainably. In order to promote the circular economy and sustainable consumption, defective products should not be disposed of, but repaired”, commented European Commissioner for Justice and Consumer Affairs Didier Reynders in a statement.
The European Commission will examine measures that promote repair during and beyond the two-year legal guarantee period.
The initiative could lead to targeted amendments to Directive (EU) 2019/771 on certain aspects concerning contracts for the sale of goods and a new right to redress, either as part of the directive or in a separate instrument, the institution says.
Public input is sought in order to prepare an impact assessment.
It will also take into account data from the preparatory work for other related initiatives, such as the ‘Empowering Consumers for the Energy Transition’ initiative, scheduled for 30 March, according to the Commission’s provisional timetable, and the Sustainable Product Policy initiative, also scheduled for 2022.
To participate in the consultation: https://bit.ly/3HWq4oZ (Original version in Aminata Niang)