First federal states act
Consumer advocates are calling for a repair bonus for electronics
October 16, 2023, 6:06 p.m
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Every German produces 20 kilograms of electronic waste per year. This could be reduced by repairing instead of throwing away. The first is rare and expensive, but actually wanted. This is why consumer organizations want a bonus from the government. A signature campaign is intended to put pressure on people.
An alliance of 26 environmental and consumer organizations is calling for a government repair bonus for electrical appliances. In the future, the state should reimburse half of the repair costs up to 200 euros, the organizations explained. They want to hand over 70,000 signatures to Consumer Protection Minister Steffi Lemke on Tuesday.
It must “finally become easier and cheaper to repair electrical devices,” explained Julius Neu from the Inkota network. The consumption of metallic raw materials contributes “massively” to the climate crisis and leads to human rights violations in the global south.
Anna Hanisch from the German Nature Conservation Association (NABU) called for, in addition to a repair bonus, “absolute reduction targets” for raw material consumption in the new national circular economy strategy and its consistent implementation. The federal government must act so that raw material consumption finally falls.
Four federal states are moving forward
The organizations pointed to support in politics and science: the consumer protection ministers spoke out in favor of a repair bonus in July, and the Advisory Council for Environmental Issues is also calling for it. After Thuringia, other federal states such as Bremen, Saxony and Berlin also introduced the bonus this year or were planning to introduce it.
According to the alliance, every person in Germany produces around 20 kilograms of electronic waste per year. Not even a quarter of all defective electrical devices are currently repaired. Surveys show that consumers would like to do more repairs, but repairs are too time-consuming and expensive.