The French government published three new decrees late last month as part of its Climate and Resilience Law.
The decrees cover the availability of spare parts for the following products: motorized DIY and gardening tools, sports and leisure equipment and motorized personal transport devices.
Under the amendment manufacturers will need to guarantee that spare parts, including spare parts from the circular economy, are made available for the maintenance and repair of these products.
France’s repairability index first came into force in January 2021 covering five product categories: smartphones; laptops; televisions’ washing machines and lawnmowers.
The objective of the index is to encourage consumers to choose more repairable products, and manufacturers to improve the repairability of their products.
Article 30 of the Climate and Resilience Law requires producers to make spare parts available during the marketing period and includes a minimum period of availability for these parts. The article also requires repairers, outside of the legal guarantee, to offer an alternative for certain new spare parts from the circular economy.
The French laws are part of a growing trend towards greater repairability in electronics, particularly in Europe where the EU is pushing for greater repairability as part of its broader sustainability goals.