Ecodesign and "right to repair", green light from the EU Parliament to crack down on fast fashion and mass consumption

Green light from the European Chamber on two measures that aim to guarantee the environmental sustainability of products.Here's what they predict

From Strasbourg – On the one hand, new rules to make products more sustainable right from the design phase.On the other hand, guarantee citizens a real "right to repair".Today the European Parliament gave the green light to two measures in the name of sustainability.The first is the regulation on ecodesign, whose rapporteur is the Italian Alessandra Moretti, MEP of the Democratic Party.The provision updates a previous 2009 directive and has the declared objective of making some products more durable, reliable, repairable and recyclable.The most significant innovation concerns the introduction of a "digital passport" of products, which will provide information on environmental sustainability and their origin.An additional tool available to consumers to make informed choices, but also an incentive for companies to work with ever greater transparency and reliability.The other sustainability-themed measure approved today by the European Chamber is the directive on the right to repair, which obliges sellers to give priority to the repair of defective products when it is more convenient than total replacement.

The grip on fast fashion

The sector most affected by the new regulation on ecodesign is undoubtedly that of fast fashion, i.e. those fashion companies that put a product on the market in a very short time and at often reduced prices.A practice which, as revealed by numerous investigations, often hides a supply chain made up of worker exploitation and highly polluting practices.The regulation approved today by the European Chamber does not concern motor vehicles, already regulated by other European provisions, but also products that have an impact on defense or national security.The regulation also introduces a direct ban on the destruction of unsold textile products, a practice used today above all by the giants of the fast fashion.Small and micro businesses are exempt from this ban, while medium-sized businesses will benefit from a six-year grace period.For the giants of the sector, the ban will come into force two years after the entry into force of the regulation.

Mass consumption and the right to repair

The other measure approved today in Strasbourg concerns the directive to make repairs more accessible for consumers even after the legal guarantee has expired.There is an obligation for manufacturers to repair household appliances such as washing machines, vacuum cleaners and smartphones, allowing consumers to borrow another device while their own is being repaired.To facilitate the repair process, a European online platform with national sections will be established.Through these platforms, consumers in every EU country will be able to find local repair shops, sellers of refurbished goods, buyers of defective items or repair initiatives led by local communities.René Repasi, German MEP and rapporteur of the measure, explains the objective of the directive:«In the future it will be easier and cheaper to have products repaired instead of buying new and expensive ones».The directive on the right to repair now needs the final green light from the Council.At that point, member states will have two years to transpose it.

On the cover:The hall of the European Parliament in Strasbourg (EPA/Ronald Wittek)