FairTEC responses to the European Commission’s consultation on sustainability

FairTEC, a collective of European companies working together to create and offer sustainable and ethical integrated smartphone solutions, sees the European Commission’s public consultation on the “Sustainable Consumption of Goods – Promoting Repair and Reuse” as a promising opportunity to effect real change.

FairTEC

With the initiative, the Commission aims to amend the existing Sale of Goods Directive and to possibly introduce a separate new legislative proposal on the right to repair. FairTEC welcomes this effort, but notes that legislation centered around design inevitably leads to the creation of new products. FairTEC therefore wants to emphasize that sustainable consumption starts with continued use of and a pride of ownership in the items we already own. Bearing this in mind, FairTEC proposes the following measures to improve the longevity and repairability of mobile devices.

The European public

As is already mandated for the alcohol and tobacco industry, the electronic industry’s social and environmental impact should be made more transparent. Specifically, FairTEC proposes promoting awareness of the impacts of manufacturing and encouraging moderate use of smartphones. In addition, a tax weighted by the warranty and life-cycle of a device, as well as a lower VAT on used or repaired hardware, should encourage users to prefer used devices and boost the circular economy.

Hardware

FairTEC supports a more uniform construction of smartphones, facilitating the disassembly and assembly of devices. This would democratize access to repair services and encourage users to use their phones longer. In addition, manufacturers should commit to keeping spare parts available for a longer period of time. Regular checks on manufacturers and service providers could ensure that these measures are being implemented.

Software

FairTEC proposes that every phone should ideally receive software updates, security patches and bug fixes for at least five years to help prevent software obsolescence. FairTEC also suggests making an unlockable and re-lockable bootloader a mandatory provision. Users should be given the option to switch to alternative operating systems, which respect their privacy by not collecting personal data and increase the longevity of devices.

Telecom operators and electronic resellers

Telecom operators should extend VoLTE and VoWi-fi support to all compatible phones, as old 2G and 3G networks are being retired with the 5G rollout. FairTEC also supports the use of recycled or reconditioned antennas and the replacement of old equipment with more energy-efficient equipment.

Finally, recycling initiatives should not act as commercial levers to entice users to buy a new phone. We propose that telecom operators and electronics resellers only offer commercial value for recycled devices older than two or three years. Telecom operators must also be prohibited from linking the payment period for purchased hardware to the term of mobile phone contracts. This practice ties people into long-term contracts by offering new devices when airtime contracts end.