Manufacturers attribute themselves to their repairability note. According to the Stop Association with programmed obsolescence (hop), these would be overvalued.
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Calculated out of 10, the repair index, displayed on the label of certain products, gives an idea of the ease with which one can repair them. After its launch, in January 2021, many actors emphasized one of its weaknesses: it is the manufacturers of the products that attribute their own scores, not an independent instance. In 2021, the Ministry of Ecology stated in the world to rely on the vigilance of the Constivence of Competition, the DGCCRF, the Directorate-General for Competition for the consumption and repression of fraud, and that of consumer associations. In a Study published on the 1 Er March , the programming association with programmed obsolescence (hop) wanted to check the repair notes of six products.
To perform these complex calculations based on dozens of criteria, HOP sought the help of experts in repair. In five out of six cases, the manufacturers’ notes seemed to him overvalued. The Apple iPhone 7 + thus receives a corrected score of 5.8 / 10, against 6.4 / 10 according to Apple: Many spare parts are difficult to access and various documentation items are missing . The Samsung A41 is noted 6.6 / 10 per hop, against 8/10 by its manufacturer: the components of these mobiles are too expensive, and its battery is not removable, under pain of risking a fire starting by melting the glue that keeps it.
Hop calls the state to put in place an independent control of the ratings and then to clarify certain criteria: their interpretation is subject to an excessive margin of interpretation. Hop also makes several revised rating grid proposals to avoid, for example, a particularly expensive TV room, or an extremely difficult smartphone to disassemble, despite a flattering repair index.
A useful index
in its study , hop delivers an overall analysis of the index, one year after the appearance of the latter. On several points, its conclusions are positive: for the association, the index is judged “salutary”, and the criteria on which it relies, appropriate. She judges her good reputation: 55% of consumers interviewed by her care knows her. Hop points out that the index has already had an impact on the behavior of consumers by helping them to choose more sustainable smartphones. The association notes that some brands have progressed by providing, for example, detailed technical documentation.
But, according to Hop, other points deserve to be improved. If the index is generally visible for smartphones, it is insufficient for laptops. In general, the visibility of the notes could be improved if the State obliged the manufacturers to mention them in their advertisements. The notation also deserves, according to the association, to be hardened for certain categories of products, both the average of the notes seems high. Finally, hop calls on the state to extend the repair index to other products that the five already concerned, ie smartphones, laptops, televisions, lawn mowers and washing machines. Hublot linen.