this post was submitted on 27 Oct 2023
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1021
Too many products are easier to throw away than fix—consumers deserve a 'right to repair' (techxplore.com)
submitted 1 year ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]
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Too many products are easier to throw away than fix—consumers deserve a 'right to repair'::There was a time when the family washing machine would last decades, with each breakdown fixed by the friendly local repair person. But those days are long gone.

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[–] [email protected] 7 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (1 children)

I don't know how it is in other areas of technology but in the automotive electronics world, a big barrier to re-use and repair is mostly poor record keeping. When an OEM makes a car, they buy subsystems from suppliers such as Bosch, Continental and Valeo. These mechatronic assemblies contain software that is often completely opaque to the OEM, never mind the end user. Even if you did want to repair the sensor or whatever has gone wrong, you wouldn't be able to access the diagnostic interface without specialist tools and documentation. This barrier is deliberately and cynically inserted by witholding the information. Our machines are not made to be repaired because it is less profitable and profit decides every decision in capitalism.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 year ago

I agree - though it's a short sighted vision.

If you aim for a lower margin and a longer product lifecycle, you'll make more in the long run. For example, creating a system designed for compatibility, easy upgrading, and repair would reduce production costs and shift profit from repairs to incremental upgrades (e.g. pc building).