3.1.5. Tackling Planned Obsolescence

Planned obsolescence is the practice of designing and selling products with an artificially limited useful life. They are programmed to break down much earlier, and repair is made expensive, so consumers need to replace them.  This leads to a substantial amount of waste. In line with our ecological goals we want products that are durable, repairable and/or upgradeable. In practice, this means the following:

• Consumers should have the option to have their devices repaired by an independent party. Any documentation or product guarantees that prohibit this should be banned.
• As a general rule, all spare parts should be replaceable, and available on the market. If the original manufacturer no longer provides such spare parts, they cannot block anyone else from providing them.