Smartphones and tablets: manufacturers forced to sell more durable devices starting this Friday

Finally, smartphones that last more than two years? A new European regulation comes into force this Friday, June 20, to strengthen eco-design requirements for mobile phones and digital tablets. These devices have a "significant impact on the environment," the European Commission points out.

The sharp increase in sales of these products in recent years has led to a significant increase in demand for energy and materials, with serious social and environmental repercussions. According to the EU, "appliances are often replaced prematurely by users and are not sufficiently reused or recycled at the end of their lifespan, resulting in a waste of resources."

In detail, the new standards now require manufacturers to design devices with a longer lifespan, to limit electronic waste while informing consumers and allowing them to make a more responsible purchasing choice.

First, and most noticeably, there will now be an energy label, similar to what is already done in France for household appliances (washing machines, refrigerators, and vacuum cleaners). These labels will provide information on battery life, the appliance's resistance to drops, dust, and water, and its repairability.

Next, smartphones and tablets will now comply with eco-design rules. For example, batteries will have to withstand at least 800 charge and discharge cycles (compared to 100 to 1,000 cycles depending on the device currently), while retaining at least 80% of their initial capacity.

Furthermore, manufacturers must also make updates to their products' operating systems available for at least five years after they are put on the market, in order to limit planned obsolescence in member countries. This is an unprecedented measure, as there was previously no obligation to do so. Manufacturers will also have to allow the deletion of personal data and the restoration of factory settings.

To ensure product repairability, the EU requires that laptops and tablets be able to be disassembled, and obliges manufacturers to make spare parts available within five to ten working days after the need arises, and up to seven years after the model has ceased sales. This compares to five years currently for smartphones in France, the leading country in this area. This measure is supposed to make it easier to replace screens , batteries, speakers, buttons, or cameras when these parts fail.

The trial of the century

These measures are considered "half-hearted" by the association Halte à l'obsolescence programmée (HOP). "We are rather disappointed with the repairability index and the visibility of the information," explains Flavie Vonderscher, head of advocacy for the association. "In France, we were working on a very ambitious index, much more so than this new European energy label, which has very scattered criteria. It will not be a single rating that would allow for product comparisons, which was the case with the French sustainability index." Indeed, there are now five different ratings, from A to E. "The consumer will not know what is most important between repairability, the product's resistance to water, etc. It will be complicated to find your way around," points out Flavie Vonderscher.

Furthermore, another criterion is not included in the European score: the price of spare parts. However, excessively high costs discourage consumers and, in fact, hamper the repairability of the device. In short, "the substance is good, but it's poorly done," Flavie Vonderscher says.

Another point of vigilance: the initial text of the European Commission was modified just before its promulgation. The text was ambitious on one point: manufacturers had to make screen repair accessible to all consumers, without outside help. "This has been transformed to facilitate repair but only for professionals, in workshop conditions , " notes Flavie Vonderscher. On this issue, it is difficult not to suspect the manufacturers' lobbies, who "have the weapons to heavily influence decision-makers," according to the expert.

For HOP, it is now a matter of continuing the fight against planned obsolescence, the ban of which in France celebrates its tenth anniversary this year. "The battle continues ," assures Flavie Vonderscher. "From now on, we want our complaints against brands that do not comply with the law to be investigated and for trials to take place."