“A Robust Repair Ecosystem Is Essential”: Right To Repair Public Hearings Enter Day Two
The Right To Repair public hearings swing into the second day of a three-day process, with a number of tech industry representatives set to elaborate on their submissions.
Yesterday’s hearings in Sydney saw University of Technology Sydney’s Dr Jesse Adams Stein and Queensland University of Technology’s Dr Muhammad Zaheer Abbas speak, as well as non-profit recycling centre Mobile Muster’s Spyro Kalos.
Today, Clare Hobby, Director of Purchaser Engagement at TCO Development, the organisation behind the global independent sustainability certification for IT products, will be today discussing, among other topics, how regulations on the right to repair will be instrumental in creating a more sustainable, circular approach to the electronics lifecycle in Australia.
“IT products are made to last, but for several reasons too many products are being discarded when there’s plenty of life left in them,” she told Channel News this morning.
“One of those reasons is the many barriers to repair that exist today. These barriers include restricted access to repair manuals and product schematics that enable repair, or the price of replacement parts that in some cases is almost in line with the cost or new product replacement.
“If we are to enable the circular economy, this means using our products longer, so a robust repair ecosystem is essential.”