Right to Repair

By Gay Gordon-Byrne, The Repair Association

Just how big is the Right to Repair problem?

The average US household already owns 30 digitally driven gadgets ranging from cell phones to refrigerators to garage door openers. With a population of roughly 128 million households - thats 3.8 Billion gadgets that aren’t likely to last more than a few years with some kind of repair or battery replacement. For RLA members -- thats also 3.8 billion potential repair or reuse transactions that will not exist without right to repair legislation.

The useful life of these gadgets is limited by several factors: choice of components, design for repair, and policies regarding repair. Right to repair policies enable people to keep an otherwise poorly made gizmo in use on timetables that suit the user, not the OEM.

Sustainability gurus often talk about “Reuse” as something that is done by OEMS by reusing parts, which is possible but not common. Reuse from the standpoint of the consumer is buying or selling used equipment. Its also the cascade of a new cell phone for mom putting the older phone in the hands of a child. Reuse doesn’t work without repair -- because the older the device, the harder it is to keep the older unit running. Case in point -- take an iPhone 5 to the Apple store and try to get a new battery or glass. Apple will recommend a new purchase, but a local repair shop can do far more.

The logistics of repair drive more transactions than a replacement retail purchase. Repair technicians need to acquire parts from a wide variety of sources including the OEM but also harvested from used equipment or new commodity parts sourced from parts manufacturers. Replaced parts are not always discards -- the more complex parts can be repaired by board-repair specialists and returned to stock as spares. The cycle of repair of devices with repair of boards fueling a long-lived used market is both environmentally friendly and a business opportunity in the secondary market.

Gay Gordon-Byrne is the Executive Director of The Repair Association, a multi-stakeholder coalition of trade associations, businesses, charities and individuals all active in the repair, reuse, recycling or resale of digital electronic products. In her many years in the computer industry – Gay has had an inside look at how manufacturers, distributors, partners and retailers interact with their customers, service providers, lessors and lenders. She is the author of  "Buying Supporting and Maintaining Software and Equipment: An IT Manager's Guide to Controlling the Product Lifecycle."