Fewer than one in five Canadians had their most recent broken or broken electronic item repaired, an analysis by the Équiterre Group shows. In a report presented on Tuesday, the environmental organization demonstrates “a declining repair practice”. To counteract this decline, the creation of a right to redress is advocated.
Posted at 5:00 am
Clemence Delfil’s The Press
Members of the Facebook group Touski s’répare, a sharing community that promotes item repair, know a lot about the difficulties of repairing damaged devices. “This is the third kettle I have had replaced. I wanted to see what was wrong, but the screws are triangular. No way ! The companies make sure we can’t fix it and have to throw it away,” laments one of the members, Jocelyne Gallien. His example is far from unique, with several members happy to share their anecdotes about irreparable washing machines or printers.
The causes of this decline are multiple and depend on both consumer habits and product evolution, the report on Repairable Home Appliances and Electronics in Canada underscores. Phone that no longer opens, immutable chips, parts that cannot be found, so many reasons that encourage owners of electronic items and household appliances to buy new ones. These facts also explain why, according to a survey by Équiterre, only 18.6% of people had their last broken device repaired.
There is a great diversification and complexity of the devices brought to the market. It increases repair costs. Devices are also less and less designed to be repaired.
Amélie Côté, Analyst at Équiterre
Consumption habits also play a role. For example, between 2020 and 2021, 50% of people surveyed by the environmental organization bought a new smartphone. According to Antoine Boutet, appliance repairer, these purchases are partly motivated by the need for technology. “Consumers prefer to buy new because of social pressure. I don’t think they’re looking for a new product rather than something new,” he explains. For Équiterre’s Amélie Côté, the reasons are more practical: “Repair brakes are the perception that the equipment is irreparable and the increase in repair costs. Depending on the subject, the question of the deadline also arises. »
However, it is still cost that most motivates consumers to repair their items, as well as environmental issues. “The motives are both economic and ecological. There is a kind of awareness of a sustainable lifestyle in Quebec,” explains Sonia Gagné, President and CEO of Recyc-Québec, a government body responsible for reclamation and recycling and a financial supporter of the Équiterre report.
Quebec does it better
According to the same report, Quebec stands out from the rest of Canada. According to Sonia Gagné, this difference is primarily a cultural one.
The repair reflex seems to be really well established with us. The image of repair is positive for Quebecers.
Sonia Gagné, President and CEO of Recyc-Québec
Amélie Côté agrees: “There has been a lot of talk in Quebec about the repair movement in recent years. There are many initiatives and a community for repair. Evidence of this are the many members of the Touski s’répare group, as well as the new repair cafes and other structures that are increasingly present in the province.
Which solutions?
After the observations the solutions. They lie above all in the definition of a right to redress, which, according to Amélie Côté herself, would make it possible to establish legislative constraints. For example, a reparability and durability index that has already been tested by Recyc-Québec but is still missing on the packaging. The report proposes other solutions, such as introducing an eco-tax or providing repair tools.
Recyc-Québec and Équiterre are not limited to promoting actions that make repairs possible. “The ultimate goal is that the objects no longer need to be repaired because we want them to be not only repairable but also more durable. It would help reduce their environmental and economic impact on households,” says Amélie Côté. A solution that Recyc-Québec also advocates: “We shouldn’t just talk about repairs. You can already return to the chain when you buy it. A repairable, durable device can be preferred,” confirms Sonia Gagné.
In 2019 MP Guy Ouellette also proposed Bill 197, which amends the Consumer Protection Act to tackle planned obsolescence and the repair of goods and was reintroduced into the legislature on 20 October 2021.