Ecological and economical: on paper, everyone is singing the praises of the second-hand smartphone and tablet market. But professional reconditioners, who repair the devices, criticize several government decisions that penalize their activity, according to them. Starting with the proposed law aimed at reducing the environmental footprint of digital technology in France (REEN), examined at second reading, in the Senate, Tuesday, November 2. In particular, the article extending to sellers of repackaged multimedia devices the payment of a royalty to rights holders of the cultural industry, in return for the digital safeguard of their works.
For months, reconditioners campaigned not to pay this contribution, which, in principle, relates to the “First circulation” some products. In vain. The government was also divided on this issue, but the Prime Minister, Jean Castex, agreed with the rights holders, who were all asking for it. A new scale of the private copying levy, which provides for the case of repackaging, entered into force in July, and deputies voted in June to amend the REEN law to this effect.
Barring any surprise, senators should vote for the text as it stands, especially since, on Wednesday, October 20, the Senate Committee on Regional Planning and Sustainable Development adopted “Compliant” the proposed law on the environmental footprint, including the extension of the fee. “There is no point in relaunching the debate”, bows Senator Les Républicains (LR) Patrick Chaize, who had voted an amendment in favor of reconditioners, at first reading, in the Senate, in January. “But it is a political aberration”, he believes. Other solutions existed, such as an increase in the contribution on new products.
Government setbacks on the circular economy
The reconditioners, they are not mad. “This fee was applied without taking into account its consequences on a young market, which still has to be structured”, worries Marlène Taurines, general manager of Smaaart, a company that repairs telephones, in Saint-Mathieu-de-Tréviers (Hérault). “This seems to us to go against the actions taken by the government to support French economic sovereignty. “
The contribution amounts to 10.08 euros, VAT included, for a smartphone with a storage of 64 gigabytes or more, which represents about 4% of the average resale price of the devices (250 euros), in a very competitive market, where gross margins are around 10%.
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