France will soon begin labeling phones with iFixit-style repairability ratings

Earlier this year, the European Union called for manufacturers to make batteries easier to replace on phones, tablets, and wireless earphones. As reported by iFixit, the European Union has now voted to support the Right to Repair for consumers.

France will be the first country to introduce repairability ratings for gadgets, including smartphones, TVs, washing machines, and laptops. All new devices sold in the country will be labeled with a repairability rating from January 2021. Similar to how iFixit scores devices for repairability, devices will be rated out of 10 based on factors such as how easy they are to disassemble, spare part availability and pricing, as well as access to repair information. Austria, meanwhile, has decided to reduce taxes on repair services and will offer subsidies for consumer repairs.

A recent EU survey found that 77% of the respondents wanted to repair their devices than replace them. The majority of them also believe that manufacturers must be legally obliged to facilitate the repair of their devices and replace individual parts.

Chloe Mikolajczak, an EU campaigner for the Right to Repair, told iFixit:

This vote shows that right to repair measures are backed by opinion polls but also by the European Parliament. The European Commission now needs to take this momentum and move forward swiftly in 2021 on a EU-wide repairability score for all electronic devices and repairability rules for computers.