Right To Repair - A Movement Towards a Healthier Earth

If you have been following recent trends, you might have heard of the movement "Right To Repair," which has been booming recently for the right cause. However, if you live under a rock, you should know the basics of the movement before moving further. 

Right To Repair is a movement that aims to allow business users, end users, and consumers of technical, automotive, and electronic devices to freely repair products in case of any technical or mechanical failure.

Why is the Right To Repair movement important? And why are big tech companies against this movement? 

If these questions are on your mind, you are reading the right article. Here we will cover everything on the Right To Repair movement. Let's get started!

Why Are Big Tech Companies Against This Labored Movement? 

There are several reasons for the big tech companies to go against the Right To Repair movement. However, they primarily want this movement to fail because of their profit motives. 

Big tech companies make the most profit by selling new devices and provide authorized repairs. The overall profit would drastically decrease if they allowed individuals to repair their own devices, and the sales would also decrease. 

Some big tech companies even have intellectual property concerns as they claim that individual repair shops can violate their property rights and can even lead to the creation of a counterfeit product. Furthermore, these companies also raise safety concerns as untrained individuals repairing devices can cause safety risks to users and damage the device further.

How Do These Companies Contribute Against The Movement?

Big tech companies like Apple and Samsung contribute against the Right To Repair movement in various ways. They spend significant money lobbying against the Right To Repair legislation at the federal and state levels. 

These companies also restrict access to repair tools, replacement parts, and diagnostic tools, making it almost impossible for individuals or repair shops to fix devices. 

An example of this is headphones; the design and manufacturing of headphones are unique, so if your headphones aren't working, the only solution is to get a new one, as there are high chances that the company would have used nonstandard equipment like glue and screws which are impossible for third-party individuals to find.

Furthermore, some big tech companies even have software locks on their devices. With such locks, these companies prevent unauthorized modification or repairs to a device like a screen or battery replacement.

Why Is The Movement Important?

The Right To Repair movement is crucial for consumers as they will save money and, more importantly, the environment. Buying new products instead of getting a repair means contributing to e-waste. Electronic devices already have various toxic chemicals like cadmium, mercury, and lead. These chemicals can leach into the environment and significantly threaten the human ecosystem.

Furthermore, when e-waste is disposed of in landfills, the toxic chemicals released can potentially damage the soil and groundwater, ultimately affecting our health. At the same time, if e-waste is burnt to extract valuable material, it can release harmful chemicals and heavy metals into the air causing catastrophic air pollution.

Recent studies also show that the United States generated 6.9 million million tons of e-waste in 2019, the highest of any country. And that's why CentralSound thinks it's essential for the movement to take place; if the right actions are not taken in the present, we might just be endangering our future. 

According to Global E-Waste Monitor 2020, 53.6 million metric tonnes of e-waste are generated globally. By the end of 2023, e-waste will reach 74.7 million tons.

Where Do We Stand?

The Right To Repair movement is for a healthier earth, and CentralSound supports this movement.  The company believes that the movement can help us develop a sustainable environment. CentralSound believes that it's crucial for users to have access of the knowledge, tools and parts so repairs can be completed by consumers.