Smartphone manufacturers may be forced to provide security patches and spare parts for seven years, according to a proposal by the German government to the European Union, in an attempt to improve sustainability.
The German federal government has entered into negotiations with the European Commission to modify the proposals that affect the repair and maintenance of smartphones and tablets.
As the European Commission works to force device providers to Offering parts and technical support for five years, Germany wants more to do.
The EU wants smartphones to have five years of updates and parts, while tablet parts can be offered for six years. According to Heise.de, the Federal Ministry of Economy wants the deadline to be extended to seven years.
In addition to the extra useful life, Germany wants manufacturers to offer replacement parts at “a reasonable price”. This includes requiring sellers to publish prices for replacement parts and not increase the cost over time.
As for the time it takes these pieces to reach their destination, the Commission foresees a maximum limit of 5 working days, although again Germany wants faster deliveries.
Germany also supports the Commission’s plans to introduce an energy label and a repairability index to show consumers how easy the appliances are to repair.
While Germany wants the Commission to be tougher, manufacturers want the opposite. DigitalEurope, which includes manufacturers like Apple, Samsung and Google, defends three years of security updates and two years of functional updates.
DigitalEurope believes that parts such as batteries and monitors should be offered, as other components, such as cameras and microphones, will rarely fail.
The debate will go on for some time, and The EU is due to present its proposal in 2023.
On the other hand, in our country, in April 2021, a national consumer protection standard was approved, which requires companies to sell products with a three-year warranty, as well as to increase the availability of spare parts for five years. years old.