You could imagine better endurance of smartphones on a single charge or better availability of their spare parts? The European Union is also striving for this very goal these days. And we already know more information about the upcoming steps from the EU.
Better durability or availability of spare parts
The European Commission is trying to improve battery life in the smartphone and tablet segment, as well as the availability of spare parts. In proposals published this week, European regulators plan to "force" manufacturers to supply at least 15 different spare parts for professional repair. And that only for a period of five years from the time the device was put on sale. Consumers will thus get guaranteed access to spare batteries, displays or chargers. The parts will also include back covers, sockets for SIM/memory cards.
The designs are designed to improve the level of smartphone and tablet repair. And as a result, they should reduce the carbon footprint throughout Europe. Known source Financial Times states that extending the life cycle of a smartphone by five years would be equivalent to removing five million cars from our roads. The EU says that "forcing" manufacturers to make products that are more durable and easier to repair should reduce e-waste. It should also improve the rate of recycling and re-use of materials needed by the equipment manufacturer.
An energy label that you know from, for example, a refrigerator
If these proposals are accepted within Europe, during this year, smartphones and tablets will also receive new energy label. It will work similarly to energy labels on televisions or white goods. You can find them from local sellers in Slovakia and the Czech Republic. The label should indicate the likely battery life of the smartphone or tablet. And it will also contain information about the device's resistance to water and dust, or even resistance to accidental drops.
Under European Union plans, if manufacturers are unable to supply batteries to consumers for five years, their batteries will have to pass a set of durability tests. These ensure that the devices reach 80% of its capacity even after 1000 full charge cycles. Manufacturers will also be forced to ensure that future software updates do not have a negative impact on battery life in any way.
Interestingly, these regulations will not apply to phones or tablets with a flexible main display. These are specifically devices "that the user can partially or fully unfold or roll up". Smartphones designed for high-security environments will also be excluded. We do not know more details yet. However, it is clear that the new rules will mainly affect cheap devices. As well as the middle class or the so-called upper middle class of smartphones and tablets with a traditional design.
Improving reliability in affordable smartphones and tablets
This proposal follows on from the previously published proposal of European Union legislators from the beginning of this year, which talks about the introduction universal charger for mobile phones and other devices. At the time, the European Parliament claimed that unused and discarded chargers in Europe each year account for approx 11 metric tons electronic waste.
While preliminary designs attempt to address equipment repairs and improve reliability, ECOS (Environmental Coalition on Standards) says these proposals do not go far enough.
"Although the proposals are generally encouraging, they should still be significantly improved," says ECOS. "The availability and interchangeability of certain spare parts sets unnecessary limits for the so-called self-repairers (repairers of smaller dimensions, editor's note)."
ECOS, an international and non-governmental organization that promotes environmentally friendly standards, also wants manufacturers to provide durable batteries and spare parts as standard, namiso that they can choose between them. "ECOS believes that consumers deserve both as a minimum and not one or the other as currently proposed," the statement reads.
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