Survey: Many electrical household appliances could be repaired in 2023

The German Electrical and Electronic Manufacturers' Association (ZVEI) supports the EU and German government's goal of strengthening the repair culture. To this end, the association surveyed some of its more than 1,100 members in the summer. In 2023, participants in the survey were able to successfully process nine out of ten repair requests, according to the results now published. In 79% of cases, a repair was possible in principle. These repairs could then almost always be carried out successfully, namely in 98% of the remaining inquiries.

In other cases, advice on how to operate the appliance or how to deal with an error message was sufficient, writes the ZVEI. Strictly speaking, there was no defect in these inquiries. In addition, appliances were replaced under the statutory warranty. Many users also want to get their home technology up and running again themselves. According to the association, the industry was able to satisfactorily resolve 93% of spare parts requests from private individuals last year. For safety reasons, it is not always permissible to hand over such components to do-it-yourself enthusiasts, Carine Chardon explained, Managing Director of the ZVEI trade associations for electrical household appliances. A distinction is made by law between private and professional repairers when it comes to access to spare parts, as the risks should not be underestimated. It is often "absolutely necessary" to call in professionals.

Around 25 percent of the members of the ZVEI trade associations for electrical household appliances took part in the survey. According to the association, these included "the largest German companies in the industry". In 2023, the participating companies received a total of 1.7 million repair requests.

Environmental aid: manufacturers are not doing enough

"The ZVEI survey does not reflect reality and unjustifiably glosses over the issue of repairs and the role of manufacturers," Thomas Fischer, Head of Circular Economy at Deutsche Umwelthilfe (DUH), told heise online. Only a limited number of members had already responded, who were probably "well on their way" with the topic anyway. "The conditions for repairs are nowhere near as good as they appear to be," criticizes Fischer. Critical points such as poor ecodesign, limited repairability, a lack of relevant information or software-based barriers are "largely the responsibility of the manufacturers".

The required shift towards a circular economy still needs momentum. The proportion of Germans who repair products themselves or have them repaired fell from 56% in 2014 to 46% in 2022. This was reported by the Round Table Repair on the basis of representative, comparable studies on environmental awareness conducted by the Federal Environment Agency (UBA) over the two years. Repair costs and the availability of spare parts were the most common obstacles in 2022, according to 36% and 30% of respondents respectively, followed by doubts about the reparability of an item and uncertainty as to whether repairs could be carried out by people themselves or by trustworthy organizations (29% in each case).

When it comes to the technical aspects of repairs, consumers in the latest UBA survey focus on the better availability of spare parts (96%), the modularity of products (95%) and the longer provision of software updates and repair instructions for minor faults (92%). When purchasing new electrical appliances, respondents prioritized durability (80 percent), functionality and high quality (73 percent) and reparability (51 percent).

Right to repair is a done deal

At this year's IFA, Miele emphasized that the household appliance manufacturer is committed to the circular economy: "We want to give our appliances a second life and focus on the reusability and recycling of appliance components and materials," emphasized Reinhard Zinkann, CEO of the Gütersloh-based company, in the run-up to the trade fair. The company therefore continues to focus on durable, repair-friendly products and resource-conserving production. At the IFA, Miele is presenting a concept study of an appliance that, according to the company, "consists almost entirely of circular material and can also be almost completely returned to the material cycle".

In April, the EU Parliament passed a draft directive for a right to repair. The new entitlement applies to products for which repair requirements with the eco-design approach already exist in EU law. These include smartphones, tablets, servers, monitors, washing machines, dryers, dishwashers, refrigerators and welding equipment, and soon also vacuum cleaners. The ZVEI believes a holistic approach is necessary. In addition to legal requirements for manufacturers, educational work or incentives such as a repair bonus are important.

(vbr)