The EU's Right to Repair Directive enters into force
The EU's Right to Repair Directive entered into force on 30 July 2024 — a clear win for reversible, repairable design. Member states have until 31 July 2026 to transpose it into national law.
Repair beyond the warranty
The directive requires manufacturers to repair certain products even after the legal guarantee has expired, where repair is technically possible. To make repair the easier choice, the guarantee on a repaired good is extended by a further 12 months, nudging both makers and owners towards fixing rather than replacing.
A European repair platform
The rules also mandate a European online repair platform that connects consumers with repairers, refurbishers and sellers of spare parts. Lowering the search cost of finding a repairer is a quietly important step: a product is only reversibly repairable in practice if someone nearby can actually do the work.
Momentum on both sides of the Atlantic
The shift is not confined to Europe. In the United States, Oregon became the first state to ban "parts pairing" — the software lockouts that stop a replacement part from working unless a manufacturer authorises it. Senate Bill 1596 was signed on 28 March 2024, removing one of the most direct obstacles to independent repair.
Source: Directive on the repair of goods (European Commission). On Oregon's law, see Oregon passes right-to-repair law (Reinhart).