Right to Repair

Forking over our hard-earned cash for new household appliances is something that quite easily sends some of us into a tailspin. Perusing the aisles of Briscoes comparing warranty offers and sniffing out good deals is all part of the routine. We do everything we can to avoid wasting our dollars on items that may not stand the test of time. 

Unfortunately, replacing faulty or worn-out appliances & technology is something we have grown rather used to. The good old days of buying products with “lifetime guarantees” are gone; this promise is now mostly reserved for $450 pairs of boots or rare scores found in the dead of night after hours of scrolling through web forums. 

When it comes to the reliability of our products, even the top tier stuff wears out eventually or can become damaged. Sometimes we manage to find spare parts that don’t cost half a weeks wages, but then comes the hard task of fixing up our faulty goods or finding someone to help. Consumer NZ recently completed a survey of 5000 Kiwis and found that 76% of this group would prefer to have their products repaired than see them thrown in the trash and replaced. Customer inconvenience is a key factor in the recent push for improved consumer rights, along with growing environmental concerns.

Many manufacturers do not provide access to spare parts or repair services, which means products end up hitting our landfills unnecessarily. The rise of consumer capitalism has seen the quality of goods fall, meaning items can be sold at cheaper prices. This has spurred on the trend of fast fashion, fast furniture and replacing technology far sooner than your wallet can allow for. Manufacturers often depend on customers coming back to the well indefinitely; endlessly buying replacements or depending on speciality repair companies that kick part of their commission back to the manufacturers themselves (the guys who sold you the appliance in the first place!). Sadly, manufacturers usually need a change in legislation to change their greedy behaviour.

The push for better consumer rights can be witnessed around the globe. Europe has forced whiteware manufactures to improve their designs and make appliances easier to repair. America has made spare parts easier to access for both consumers and independent repairers. Australia’s Productivity Commission reported there were far too many barriers in the way of a consumers ‘right to repair’ and submitted their findings to the government in October 2021.

The right to repair basically means a consumer should be given the opportunities and resources to repair goods themselves or by seeking independent assistance. Here in Aotearoa, a Right to Repair working group was formed at the end of 2019 to encourage new legislation to support the product stewardship scheme.

The Waste Minimisation Act which was signed in 2008 currently provides certain assurances for consumers, but they don’t seem to go far enough in protecting consumer rights.

Under the current Consumer Guaruntees Act:

• If a consumer is informed (often in small print) that they are purchasing an item where repairs and spare parts are not available, they have no guarantees

• Secondhand shops have an obligation to repair or provide spare parts

• Many retailers require a refundable fee before they send an item to the manufacturer to see if it is repairable, which hinders many people from being able to pursue this avenue of assistance

The current product stewardship scheme works to ensure that:

• Products noted as a top priority under the regulated product stewardship scheme will be focused on in terms of minimising waste and prolonging product lifecycles

• The priority products currently under the product stewardship scheme were announced in 2020 and are as follows; plastic packaging, tyres, electrical and electronic products (e-waste including large batteries), agri-chemicals and their containers, refrigerants & farm plastics.

  
  The product stewardship scheme is focused on moving our waste cycle to a circular economy, where everything can be reused, repaired or recycled. We have accepted and depended upon a linear waste economy for far too long. This is a system that sees products disposed of when they are deemed to be at the end of their life cycle; often ignoring the inherent value of repairing or salvaging the product. This puts a massive strain on our natural resources, our people and our environment. A closed-loop, circular economy would see products and materials cycled back into the community in some way or another.

New Zealand’s Environment Minister, David Parker implied he wants the upcoming Waste Minimisation Act review to include a right to repair. This means that businesses and manufacturers would need to guarantee their goods can be easily repaired at an affordable cost to the consumer. This could mean that manufacturers will be required to provide diagnostics, tools and parts to their consumers and independent repairers. Improved labelling indicating a products availability for spare parts, ease of repair and approximate life cycle would need to be adopted too.

There are some really awesome kiwi-led initiatives at Consumer NZ, WasteMINZ and Greenpeace. These guys are fighting to keep useful things away from landfills and our carbon emissions as low as possible, by calling on Minister David Parker to initiate some changes in the Waste Minimisation Act by passing laws to ensure:

• Products last longer and are easier to repair - Promoting a circular economy

• Promote circular product design across the board; especially in the education sector

• Make repair services accessible and affordable for everyone.

• Support growth of community and profit-based repair services - introducing reliable funding for such schemes by introducing; targeted waste levy funding, subsidies for repair, providing low-cost/free spaces for repair hubs, covering costs of recycling etc

• Transparency around durability on a consumer level; providing definitions of how long a product should function “fault-free”

• Shift product lifespan extension responsibilities away from second-hand retailers, on to manufacturers

  At Res.Awesome we want the Government to hold manufacturers, producers and retailers responsible for the entire life-cycle of the products entering the market. We are excited to see the push towards the ‘Right to Repair’ ethos around the world and are pumped to see New Zealand pursuing a path of better sustainability practices when it comes to our goods and services.
  

  
  Be sure to check out Stitch Kitchen, a local Dunedin organisation whose mission is to inspire and build community through creative textile practices; to reduce textile waste and its impact on our environment.
  

  Remember you have a right to repair your goods and reuse is the New Black, we love the IFIXIT site for universal repair guides.

xxx

Researched + written by Erin Cox

Edited by Fi Clements