Initiative for a Circular Economy Using Right to Repair

Initiative for a Circular Economy Using Right to Repair

The rubbish produced by outdated electronic products is referred to as "e-waste." It is now the waste stream with the fastest rate of growth. The expansion of the information and communications technology industry has increased the use of electronic equipment enormously and more quickly. Subsequent electronic product upgrades are causing a significant build-up of e-waste. It is necessary to systematically address e-waste management as a developing concern through policy and practice.

E-waste can have a very negative impact on both the environment and human health if it is handled and disposed of carelessly. India produces about 3.2 million tons of electronic garbage each year, which includes dangerous compounds that can harm people's health in an irreversible way as well as various precious materials like gold, palladium, silver, and others. The creation of ecologically friendly processes to handle those difficulties is crucial in this context. The government has taken a number of actions to formally establish the nation's e-waste recycling industry.

In India, the first law to handle e-waste was introduced in 2011 and went into force in 2012. Since then, the E-waste Rules have undergone 2016 and 2018 revisions. The E-Waste (Management) Rules, 2016 require the relevant State Pollution Control Boards (SPCBs)/Pollution Control Committees (PCCs) to formally authorize the dismantling and recycling facilities. With the assistance of the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, CPCB has released guidelines/SOP for processing e-waste, and essential actions have been done to mainstream and modernize the recycling sector.

Since the Rules were first introduced, the industry has undergone a number of additional developments. In addition, the Department of Consumer Affairs under the Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food & Public Distribution has taken a significant step for developing an overall framework for the "Right to Repair" and has started the creation of a "Right to Repair portal" to protect consumers and reduce e-waste, in line with the LiFE (Lifestyle for Environment) movement launched by Prime Minister Shri Namenda Modi to encourage sustainable consumption.

What is Right to Repair?

The LiFE movement encourages intentional and thoughtful use, which includes recycling and reusing a variety of consumer goods. All types of reuse depend on repair, and even the sustainable life of the products depends on it. In addition to becoming e-waste, a product that cannot be fixed or that is subject to planned obsolescence—designing a product with an artificially limited useful life—forces people to buy new products rather than reusing or repairing them.

Limiting product repairs compels customers to consciously decide to buy a new model of that product. The idea of enabling end users, including consumers and companies, to repair items they own or service without any manufacturer or technological constraints is known as the "Right to Repair" for consumer goods. The idea behind "Right to Repair" is that when we buy something, we automatically become the full owner of it. As a result, customers should have the freedom to easily and affordably repair and alter products without being subject to the whims of producers.

Customers experience significant distress and annoyance due to repair delays, outrageous repair costs, a lack of spare parts, etc. The 'Right to fix' framework established by a committee within the Ministry of Consumer Affairs would provide customers the option to fix their products at the lowest possible cost rather than buying entirely new ones. The key industries for the framework's initial focus are farming equipment, mobile and tablet devices, consumer durables, vehicles, and automotive accessories. Customers would be required to receive information about their products from manufacturers so they can fix the items themselves or through third parties rather than relying solely on the original makers under this approach.

By extending the life of the appliances and enhancing their maintenance, reuse, upgrading, recyclability, and waste management, it will benefit customers financially and advance the goals of the circular economy. In order to create new jobs, the framework also attempts to facilitate trade between Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs), third-party purchasers, and sellers. Additionally, it will encourage business for small repair shops, which are crucial to local economies, and help reduce the enormous mountain of electronic garbage that accumulates on the continent every year. Once it is implemented in India, it will revolutionise product sustainability and act as a driver for the creation of jobs through Aatmanirbhar Bharat by enabling third-party repairs.

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The Right to Repair Portal covers four sectors:

? Farming Equipment: Tractor parts, harvesters and water pump motors.

? Mobile and Electronics: Mobiles, tablets, wireless headphones & ear buds, laptops, universal charging ports/cables, batteries, servers & data storage devices, hardware & software and printers.

? Consumer Durables: Water purifiers, washing machines, refrigerators, televisions, integrated/universal remote, dishwashers, microwaves, air conditioners, geysers, electric kettles, induction cooktops, mixer grinders and electric chimneys.

? Automobile Equipment: Passenger vehicles, two wheelers, electric vehicles, three-wheelers and cars. The OEMs are expected to display the standards or hallmarking notified for the components on this portal. This portal also has a consolidated list of consumer care contact details of all major consumer products manufacturers for your quick viewing. The portal can be used to search companies by name or consumer product name. Links to the authorised service network of the brands and third-party service providers are also given on the website.

Mission 'Pro-planet people' are encouraged to join the public movement known as LIFE (Lifestyle for Environment). The LiFE Movement seeks to encourage people to take little, every-day steps towards a more sustainable future by harnessing the strength of group action. Additionally, it aims to change social norms related to climate by making use of the power of social networks. 'Pro-Planet People' (P3), a global network of people with a shared commitment to adopting and promoting ecologically sustainable lifestyles, is what the Mission hopes to establish and develop.

The Mission is to establish an ecosystem through the P3 community that will support and enable environmentally responsible behaviours to become self-sustaining. The Mission sees a circular economy as a viable alternative to the current "use-and-dispose" economy, which is characterised by mindless and wasteful consumption. In order to make environmentally favourable habits self-sustaining, LiFE aims to develop an ecosystem.