Manufacturers will not be evaluated as much on the lifespan of their mobiles as expected. Despite the good will of the government, the project was rejected by an actor who was too imposing: the European Union.
The French Ministry of Ecology has been working for some time on the development of a sustainability index intended to help consumers make the right choice when purchasing a new smartphone.
The project aimed to highlight the environmental impact of these devices, based on data such as resistance to shock and water, or the price of spare parts. A good idea on paper, but it ends prematurely.
Until February to turn a no into a yes
As we reported to you last November, the EU had expressed its disagreement regarding the French sustainability index. According to her, the project presented too much similarity with the European sustainability index, which must be implemented in mid-2025, with a risk of duplication. France had until February 2024 to rework its file, a deadline which has now passed.
So, where are we? The French Minister of Ecology returned a blank copy to the EU, sending instead a letter spotted by our colleagues at Context. He announced the abandonment of his project, while leaving a few comments in the process. According to him, the French project constituted “ a different and complementary tool » of what Brussels is proposing, “ both with regard to the nature and readability of the information provided, and the broader spectrum of criteria contained in the sustainability indexe “.
An argument that is valid, but which will not be enough.
A step back ?
The EU, for its part, seems to favor the manufacturers’ point of view. Davide Polverini, coordinator of European regulations on energy labeling, justified Brussels’ point of view during a conference organized by the Stop Planned Obsolescence association: “ We considered that it was complicated for manufacturers to specify the price of spare parts at European Union level, as the size of national markets varies.. »
Moreover, it seems obvious to the EU that this would create “ additional charges for economic operators “. All this for criteria which “ do not represent an obvious added value for the environment », according to Afnum, an alliance of industrialists in the tech sector. Arguments rejected by iFixit, Stop Planned Obsolescence and FairPhone, who believe that the European project is not ambitious enough.
Fortunately, for consumers who care deeply about the environmental impact of their purchases, there are ways to become informed. If the repairability index is a good tool for navigating the available offers, iFixit does an exceptional job of giving us its own scores, like its recent teardown of the Apple Vision Pro.
On the other hand, the Fairphone 4 and Fairphone 5 remain the best examples of what phones can look like. responsible “. Finally, you can count on the Clubic editorial staff to cover this subject which is close to our hearts. Like our distressing report on Apple greenwashing, which we advise you to read with a hot and comforting honey herbal tea.
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