Repair cafés rejoice: Bundestag passes ecodesign reform for sustainability

On Thursday, the Bundestag passed a package of laws that is intended to fundamentally change the rules of the game for products on the German market. The members of parliament approved the government's draft for modernizing the national implementation of European ecodesign and energy consumption labeling rules with amendments from the Economic Affairs Committee. The coalition factions of CDU/CSU and SPD voted in favor of the initiative. The opposition was unanimously against it.

The goal of the initiative is to adapt German law to the stricter European requirements. In the future, the following will apply: Products must not only become more efficient, but also more durable, easier to repair, and more recyclable. Consumers are expected to benefit from this: If an energy label in a store promises a certain efficiency class, this information must be reliable. Durable devices and lower consumption are intended to reduce household costs. Furthermore, according to the parliament, the amendment contributes to the circular economy.

Stricter controls against unfair competition

To ensure that the regulations do not become a paper tiger, the law strengthens market surveillance by the federal states. The members of parliament have updated the sanctioning options for violations and adapted them to standards such as the Market Surveillance Act. If manufacturers or retailers cheat or provide false information, authorities will be able to take stronger action in the future. This is intended to create fair starting conditions and protect German quality manufacturers, who already focus on durability, from unfair competition and inferior cheap imports.

The volunteer repair movement has special reason to rejoice. With the new version, parliament is introducing the legal category of the "non-commercial repairer." This clarifies for the first time: Repair cafés and volunteer initiatives are also considered technically competent and have a legally sound claim to spare parts and repair instructions from manufacturers.

The Round Table Repair welcomes this milestone: Especially for small electrical appliances, from kettles to toasters, commercial repair is often economically unprofitable. The legislator has kept the hurdles for proof – such as membership in an association or a self-declaration of safety – low.

Waiting list for independent workshops

The Round Table is less pleased with independent commercial businesses operating outside the craft code. This includes, for example, independent smartphone repair shops. They are not explicitly mentioned in the legal text, which is why their recognition remains at the discretion of the manufacturers. Although the Bundestag calls on the federal government in a resolution to examine a low-bureaucracy integration of these businesses and to consider alternative registration solutions, an immediate solution in the form of a central register has been postponed.

The debate in the committee revealed divisions. The SPD praised the newly prescribed digital product passport as a central tool for creating raw material transparency and ushering in a true circular economy. The AfD, on the other hand, called it a "bureaucracy hammer." The documentation effort and the need to maintain large spare parts warehouses are a burden, especially for small and medium-sized enterprises. The executive promised to make the implementation low-bureaucracy and SME-friendly through intensive practical dialogues.

(nen)