How much will you save per year if you have the right to repair?

The situation where only manufacturers can repair electronic devices such as smartphones is suspected of violating the antitrust law, and voices demanding the right to repair are spreading in the United States. Apple, a representative of technology companies, whose bills have been submitted in more than 20 states, is also making a move to recognize the right to repair. Consumers are buying new products rather than paying for expensive repairs, but in 2021, PIRG, a consumer protection nonprofit, announced an estimate of how much it could save by choosing repairs rather than replacements.

In early January 2021, PIRG released a report. According to the report, Americans have an average of 24 electronic products in their homes, claiming that making repairs rather than buying new ones is both household and environmentally friendly. The report investigates how much money can be saved by actually making repairs, and announced that, by repairing more products and using them for longer periods of time, Americans could save $300 a year per family.

The scope of repair rights is expanding not only to electronic devices, but also to automobiles and agricultural machinery, and it is said that the parts necessary for repairs will be generally widely supplied in the future. In 2021, the Washington State House of Representatives Committee on Consumer Protection and Business held a sound insulation hearing on the right to repair and discussed how it would affect repairs in retail stores rather than lack of equipment parts and information.

As the demand for equipment repair increases, so does the need for the right to repair. There are many opportunities for accelerating the acquisition of the right to repair in parliament and federal agencies, and movement is also active in Australia and France. Related information can be found here .