India is going to start the repairability index of mobile phones and electronic products, joining the league of a few countries that are making serious efforts to reduce growing e-waste in the country and march toward more sustainable consumer behavior. The move will be driven by the Ministry of Consumer Affairs, assigning a score for repairability to electronic products. It would work as an indication for consumers about how easily their device can be repaired. The move is aligned with international efforts to increase the life of electronic goods and reduce environmental waste.
The initiative was announced at a national workshop organised by the Ministry of Consumer Affairs on Thursday where major stakeholders of the industry came together to discuss the parameters that would form the basis for the repairability index. Consumer Affairs Secretary Nidhi Khare underlined the significance of the move as India steadily finds its place among the topmost global economies. Khare pointed out that as India steps into the league of the third-biggest economy of the world, it should also strive for being a leader in sustainable practices also by having an efficient repair mechanism for electronics.
The proposed repairability index will be patterned after similar systems implemented in other countries, especially France, which pioneered this area. Indeed, the French ‘repairability index’ is setting a trend that has rated products based on factors such as the availability of technical documents, ease of disassembly, and availability and pricing of spare parts. The index in India will take these factors into consideration and strive for an all-inclusive framework that would spur manufacturers to make their products more repair-friendly.
The workshop aimed at reaching a consensus among the stakeholders of the industry on key parameters that shall be used for assessing and evaluating the repairability index. This shall include improving the product’s longevity and consumers’ experiences, democratizing access to information about repairs. These would facilitate reuse and encourage recycling of mobile phones and other electronic products, therefore reducing the volume of e-waste generated within the country.
According to Bharat Khera, Additional Secretary in the Ministry of Consumer Affairs, there is an urgent need for transparent and affordable repair solutions. He further emphasized the growing consumer awareness and support for local repair services as the starting point in making repair options more available while decreasing environmental damage associated with discarded electronics.
Joint Secretary Anupam Mishra pointed to a number of issues consumers and repairers face because of non-availability of spare parts, incompatibility of components with the product, and nonavailability of repair information. Mishra said that even as France’s repairability index was based on the five such key criterion, the EU followed other parameters to give all-rounded assessment. In all probability, India’s index, too, would follow the suit and combine a set of factors to ensure the consumers get the best advice on the aspect of the repairability of their devices.
Ajai Chowdhry, founder of HCL Technologies, called for legislative measures to implement the principles that lay the basis for the repairability index. Chowdhry, in an oblique reference, contended that unless backed by legislation, the initiative might not achieve its full potential. He also brought up the need to actually ‘design’ the products to be repairable and indicated that legislation might just play an important role in making sure the manufacturers comply with the new standards.
India has already embarked on the road of repairability by launching the Right to Repair Portal, which already houses 63 companies, of which 23 are from the mobile and electronics sector. The portal is supposed to empower the consumer through information regarding the repair of gadgets and genuine spare parts. The introduction of the repairability index will add to this foundation by further attempting to reduce India’s footprint from e-waste and by way of encouraging more sustainable practices within the electronics marketplace.
India is under much pressure to adopt measures that could reduce the environmental impact of its burgeoning electronics industry, being the world’s third-largest producer of electronic waste after China and the United States. The introduction of the repairability index is, therefore, thought to be a crucial step in this direction, equipping consumers with all the necessary tools and information for making better decisions on repairing rather than replacing their devices. The shift to repairability is likely to achieve less waste and resource conservation, besides opening up new opportunities for third-party repair services across the country.
This initiative, therefore, features in the larger global trend of sustainability and responsible consumption. Providing consumers with information about the reparation of their electronic gadgets positions India to be a leader in combating e-waste and environmental degradation. Success will need active participation by manufacturers, consumers, and policy makers through the inculcation of a repair and sustainability culture.
Source: Ministry of Consumer Affairs, India