According to a Local Circles survey, 83% of household consumers would prefer that an upfront "End of Life Service Date" declaration become law for all expensive serviceable items including cars, appliances, and gadgets.
The term "End of Life Service Date" describes the day after which all spare parts, services, and accessories are still available, regardless of the length of the warranty. While some businesses in India follow an "end of life" policy that entails the safe recycling or disposal of gadgets and appliances that are no longer functional, others offer a buyback policy that enables a customer to trade in an older car, gadget (such as a smartphone, tablet, or laptop), or white good (such as a refrigerator, washing machine, etc.) and receive a discount on a new purchase. But using this strategy just increases the amount of e-waste produced.
Many of the consumers who participated in the survey demanded that the government make it mandatory for all high-value serviceable products to have a declared "End of Life Service Date," which would be similar to the "Best Before Date" or "Expiry Date" on products intended for human consumption or food, medicines, or other goods. According to those who responded to the study, having this information available upfront will help consumers choose the right product more effectively.
"Right To Repair" Policy Needed To Reduce E-Waste
A step forward should be made as a result of the new e-waste regulations and government intentions to create a "right to repair" policy. The Consumer Affairs Ministry has previously stated that it will make sure that consumers and service providers have easy access to repair and maintenance information, including software and hardware, when it announced plans to have a right-to-repair policy in July 2022.
According to the survey, 77% of customers want brands to offer service or spare parts support for at least five years for high-value products that are already in use. The survey took into account more than 32,000 responses from household consumers in 309 districts across India.
According to the poll, 47% of household users have one or more products that are either non-functional or only partially functional, and for which they are unable to contact the manufacturer for spare parts or accessories. Finally, the poll found that 23% of home consumers wanted end-of-life service support for existing items to be required for at least five years, while 54% wanted it to be required for at least seven years beyond the date of manufacture.
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Technology is a useful servant, but a dangerous master, it was rightly said. Electronic devices have grown into an inevitable part of our daily lives.
