## Open hardware # Brighter -- ### Brighter * Right-to-repair laws gaining force * Repairability & durability labels becoming standard * Modular, user-serviceable hardware is thriving * Big brands opening up self-service repair * Local-first smart-home standards * Broader sustainability framework in the EU Note: * Right-to-repair laws gaining force * EU Directive on Promoting the Repair of Goods adopted 13 Jun 2024; obliges makers to offer spare parts and repair at “reasonable cost” for at least 10 years after purchase. European Commission * California SB 244 (in force 1 Jul 2024) requires parts, tools and diagnostics for electronics and appliances—first US state to cover everything from phones to tractors. California Legislative Information * Repairability & durability labels becoming standard * From 20 Jun 2025 every phone and tablet sold in the EU must carry A–G grades for battery life, durability and repairability, plus a pledge that key spares arrive in ≤10 days. * Modular, user-serviceable hardware is thriving * Framework Laptop 16 ships with socketed CPU/GPU modules, replace-in-minutes keyboard and open parts store. * Fairphone 5 promises 8 years of Android and 10 years of security * Big brands opening up self-service repair * Apple Self Service Repair expanded to 33 European countries in 2024 and now covers iPhone, Mac, and Studio Display diagnostics * Local-first smart-home standards * Matter 1.3 (Nov 2024) adds energy & water-management clusters while keeping the “works without the internet” rule; Home Assistant earned full Matter certification in Mar 2025. * Broader sustainability framework in the EU * The forthcoming Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation (ESPR) will set durability, recyclability and firmware-support minima for nearly all consumer hardware. -- ### Brighter ## EU Right-to-repair / timeline * 2021 - 1st wave "whitegoods" - washing-machines, dish-washers, fridges, displays, servers, vacuum-cleaners * Spare-parts catalogue for 7–10 yrs * 15-day delivery time * Disassembly with basic tools * 2021-2027 - Batteries Regulation - All portable devices (phones, tablets, cameras, laptops, earbuds) * Battery must be user-removable with commercially-available tools by Feb 2027 * Diagnostic software & instructions must be public -- ### Brighter ## EU ight-to-repair / timeline * 2024 - Right-to-Repair Directive - whitegoods, portable devices * After the 2-year legal-guarantee, the manufacturer must still offer repair “at a reasonable cost” unless impossible * May not obstruct 3rd-party parts * Must publish a European Repair Information Form and join the new EU repair-matching platform Note: * 2024 - Right-to-Repair Directive * Member-states must transpose by 31 Jul 2026; applies the same day -- ### Brighter ## EU Right-to-repair / outline * Minimum repair window * No more “parts-pairing” road-blocks * European Repair Platform (2026) * Transparent labels drive demand-side pressure * Batteries come out again Note: * Minimum repair window * Between the 2-year Sales-of-Goods guarantee, the extended 12 months if a consumer chooses repair (Art. 12 R2R), and the Ecodesign spare-parts period, most white goods must now be fixable for 7–10 years, smartphones for 5 years (parts) and batteries for as long as the device is sold plus 5 years. * No more “parts-pairing” road-blocks * Both the R2R Directive and the smartphone Ecodesign rules ban software practices that prevent using independent parts or disable features after repair. * European Repair Platform (2026) * Think “EU‐wide Booking.com for fixes”: repairers and refurbishers list services; consumers compare price/time via the mandatory information form. * Transparent labels drive demand-side pressure * From June 2025 every phone/tablet box in the EU carries the new multi-icon label, letting buyers rank devices on battery endurance and repairability score at a glance. * Batteries come out again * By 2027 a dead phone battery will once more be a screwdriver job, not a €300 replacement or a new handset.