***How many times can a mobile phone be dropped before it breaks? The EU Commission wants to introduce a label that shows consumers how robust new devices are.***
The EU Commission wants to prescribe mandatory labels for energy consumption and repairability of mobile phones and tablets. Accordingly, devices are to be rated on a colour-coded scale according to school grades. Grades will be given for energy efficiency and battery life. The testers will also assess how easy it is to take a mobile phone or tablet apart for repairs and how easily spare parts are available.
The testers will have particular fun with the tests that are planned: For example, test devices are to prove their durability by being dropped one metre onto a hard surface more than 300 times. Only those mobile phones and tablets that are still functional afterwards are to receive the top grade A. There is also a similar test regarding durability in dust and water: only mobile phones that are submerged under water for one metre for a longer period of time and still function afterwards are supposed to receive the highest rating. The worst durability rating is E; accordingly rated devices must at least withstand splash water or 100 drops.
The EU Commission proposed the new labels in a delegated act, which it presented on 31 August. It supplements the EU’s Ecodesign Directive, which has prescribed similar labels for refrigerators and other electrical appliances since 2009. If neither the Council of EU States nor the EU Parliament object to the new regulation, it will enter into force in two months. No later than 14 months after that – i.e. at the beginning of 2024 at the earliest – the labels will have to be emblazoned on all new appliances. The authorities of the member states will then check whether the information is actually correct.
**ECOS: “Real game changer” for the mobile phone market**
The environmental organisation ECOS sees the labels as a “real game changer” for the mobile phone and tablet market. Consumers would be able to compare different models more easily in the future. “Today’s proposal could mean the end of the era of disposable devices,” says NGO expert Mathieu Rama.
The rules are the prelude to a new EU law that the Commission intends to present next winter. It is supposed to go beyond a mere obligation to inform consumers and for the first time make binding specifications on energy consumption and establish a right to repair.
The planned introduction of labels is welcome, but the EU Commission should not lower its standards for the planned law, says Green MEP Anne Cavazzini to netzpolitik.org. Instead, the labelling of smartphones and tablets must be extended to other product groups. The law must also prescribe a “genuine repair index”. Such an index already exists in France, where all current mobile phone models are listed and rated according to repairability to enable easy comparison.
The EU Parliament already submitted proposals for more sustainable electronic devices to the Commission in April. According to these proposals, a minimum period of several years should be prescribed by law during which manufacturers must offer spare parts and software updates for their devices. Public authorities should also be obliged to purchase easily repairable and energy-efficient equipment as standard.
Manufacturers are not very enthusiastic about such regulations. They warn the commission that repairs not authorised by them could increase their appliances’ “vulnerability to hackers”. The advocates of the proposed legislation must therefore expect considerable resistance from the manufacturers’ lobby.
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***How many times can a mobile phone be dropped before it breaks? The EU Commission wants to introduce a label that shows consumers how robust new devices are.***
The EU Commission wants to prescribe mandatory labels for energy consumption and repairability of mobile phones and tablets. Accordingly, devices are to be rated on a colour-coded scale according to school grades. Grades will be given for energy efficiency and battery life. The testers will also assess how easy it is to take a mobile phone or tablet apart for repairs and how easily spare parts are available.
The testers will have particular fun with the tests that are planned: For example, test devices are to prove their durability by being dropped one metre onto a hard surface more than 300 times. Only those mobile phones and tablets that are still functional afterwards are to receive the top grade A. There is also a similar test regarding durability in dust and water: only mobile phones that are submerged under water for one metre for a longer period of time and still function afterwards are supposed to receive the highest rating. The worst durability rating is E; accordingly rated devices must at least withstand splash water or 100 drops.
The EU Commission proposed the new labels in a delegated act, which it presented on 31 August. It supplements the EU’s Ecodesign Directive, which has prescribed similar labels for refrigerators and other electrical appliances since 2009. If neither the Council of EU States nor the EU Parliament object to the new regulation, it will enter into force in two months. No later than 14 months after that – i.e. at the beginning of 2024 at the earliest – the labels will have to be emblazoned on all new appliances. The authorities of the member states will then check whether the information is actually correct.
**ECOS: “Real game changer” for the mobile phone market**
The environmental organisation ECOS sees the labels as a “real game changer” for the mobile phone and tablet market. Consumers would be able to compare different models more easily in the future. “Today’s proposal could mean the end of the era of disposable devices,” says NGO expert Mathieu Rama.
The rules are the prelude to a new EU law that the Commission intends to present next winter. It is supposed to go beyond a mere obligation to inform consumers and for the first time make binding specifications on energy consumption and establish a right to repair.
The planned introduction of labels is welcome, but the EU Commission should not lower its standards for the planned law, says Green MEP Anne Cavazzini to netzpolitik.org. Instead, the labelling of smartphones and tablets must be extended to other product groups. The law must also prescribe a “genuine repair index”. Such an index already exists in France, where all current mobile phone models are listed and rated according to repairability to enable easy comparison.
The EU Parliament already submitted proposals for more sustainable electronic devices to the Commission in April. According to these proposals, a minimum period of several years should be prescribed by law during which manufacturers must offer spare parts and software updates for their devices. Public authorities should also be obliged to purchase easily repairable and energy-efficient equipment as standard.
Manufacturers are not very enthusiastic about such regulations. They warn the commission that repairs not authorised by them could increase their appliances’ “vulnerability to hackers”. The advocates of the proposed legislation must therefore expect considerable resistance from the manufacturers’ lobby.
[Example of the planned EU-labe for phones and tablets](https://i.imgur.com/kvzum4e.png)
Here is the actual law draft:
https://ec.europa.eu/info/law/better-regulation/have-your-say/initiatives/12797-Designing-mobile-phones-and-tablets-to-be-sustainable-ecodesign_en