For many years, it made more sense for people to dispose of a broken or defective product and replace it with a new one, than to have it repaired. This generated a substantial amount of waste and unnecessary resource consumption.

This will change, starting on 31 July 2026, when it will be possible to extend the lifecycle of products andcreate a system that favours repairing a product over purchasing a new one. This will apply to household and electronic products such as washing machines, vacuum cleaners, mobile phones, tablets and so on.

These new rules will result in savings for consumers, boost the circular economy and support the objectives of sustainable consumption. Concretely, they will, among other things,

It is expected that these new rules will generate€4.8billionin growth and investment in the EU.

A new online European repair platform, which should become operational in 2027 will allow consumers more easily to find suitable repairers. The platform will have sections for each EU country.

Sustainable consumption in the EU