Repairability index

Mandatory for a number of products since 1^er January 2021on five product categories (smartphones, laptops, televisions, lawnmowers, window washers)the reparability index consists of a score out of 10.

Its objective? Combating obsolescence by informing the consumer about the whether or not a product is repairable at the time of purchase and thus extend its life and use.

From 4 November 2022, four new product categories will be affected (top washing machines, dishwashers, hoovers, high pressure cleaners). This tool, provided for in the anti-waste law for a circular economy, aims to provide consumers with better information on the more or less repairable nature of their purchases.

This means that manufacturers will now be required to provide disposal of spare parts for certain electrical products within two years of the product's launch and for a minimum of seven or ten years, depending on the part. Some of these spare parts will be available directly to consumers, while others will only be available to professionals if the repair is difficult or dangerous.

How is the reparability index calculated?

In order to determine the reparability index of a product, several criteria are taken into account. These include

• • the availability of technical documentation

• • the ease of disassembly and the tools needed to achieve this

• • the availability of spare parts

• • the price of spare parts in relation to the price of the new product.

It is up to the manufacturer to calculate the reparability index of the product he is offering for sale. To do this, he must rely on a scale determined precisely by decree for each product category.

By 2024, the anti-waste law for a circular economy foresees that this reparability index will become a sustainability indexThis was achieved by adding new criteria such as robustness or reliability of products.

How can we prepare to make repairable products?

Just like Design for Manufacturing – DFM (design for manufacturing), Design For Repairability (DFR), is becoming an essential approach for design offices and manufacturers.
Hybster, as a producer of electronic and mechatronic sub-assemblies, integrates the issues of repairability, sustainability and end-of-life management from the very first conceptual drafts.

The role of the designer

Assuming the right to repair encompasses more and more products in the future, how can designers ensure that products are repairable?
The supply of spare parts is only part of the problem. Repairing a broken product should be easier, more affordable, and more encouraged than simply buying a new one.
This is where the designer comes in.
The reparability of a product is determined from the design phase, through:

• • selection of materials

• • the way the product is assembled,

• • The tools needed for dismantling

• • The use of sub-assemblies or modules

• • the provision of clear and explicit instructions and manuals.

Below are 5 rules for initiating design for reparability:

1 - Design an engaging product!

A product that you become attached to, with which you share long moments of your life, and that you pass down, is the first step towards ensuring that the product will be repaired rather than thrown away. The creation of sentimental value has become a real challenge in a disposable generation, but users are more inclined to repair a product that is important to them.

Customers need to value the product enough to decide it's worth repairing rather than replacing. A user-centred design process, which uncovers needs and desires, is essential for creating solutions that offer real added value to people's lives.

2 - Designing a demountable product

Designing a product that can be easily disassembled increases the likelihood of it being repaired. Ensure that any broken component can be identified, removed, and replaced without special tools (even better, without any tools at all!) and without damaging other components. Use removable fasteners rather than adhesives, standard screws rather than security screws, and design assemblies with clips intended to be separable. The product design itself should clearly indicate how it is disassembled. The parts most likely to fail should be the easiest to remove.

3 - Design a modular product (including sub-assemblies)

For products where complexity prevents the replacement of each part individually (as with consumer electronics), a modular design can be the most suitable solution. The ability to easily remove modules or sub-assemblies allows for the replacement of broken components with minimal parts wastage. This approach can also help end-users perform repairs themselves when replacing an individual component would normally be difficult or dangerous and require professional servicing.

4 - Writing a repair guide

As the user's representative, designers can use their voice within the development team to ensure effective repair documentation is provided with the product, or that customer support is in place (via an app, digital manual, e-learning, etc.). Making these instructions accessible to everyone and easy to understand is paramount for educating users on repair. Communicating potentially complex repair processes must be treated as a design challenge in itself to make the repair guide as user-friendly as possible. While augmented reality technology opens new avenues for communicating and performing repairs with digital graphics overlaid onto the physical product, even a set of simple diagrams will help extend the product's lifespan.

5 - Designing and running a REAL after-sales service

If a product repair requires specialist skills or equipment, helping customers by offering a repair service is a no-brainer that had been lost over time. Going beyond the provision of spare parts and taking responsibility for products beyond the point of purchase builds customer loyalty to the retail brand and the manufacturer!

To go further, product certification can be considered, in addition to the obligation soon required by public authorities. The longtime label, for example, has defined a comprehensive set of specifications for labelling products in a way that is pragmatic and understandable to customers.

Would you like support from specialists in the Product design Durable and repairable? Don't wait for the law to impose the repairability index on you. We are here to listen to you for your new projects!

Some interesting links:

Decree No. 2020-1757 of 29 December 2020 relating to the repairability index for electrical and electronic equipment

Order of 29 December 2020 relating to display methods, signage, and general parameters for calculating the repairability index

Tools, calculation rules and procedures for displaying The repairability index