As eLoop has been documenting on Twitter, the battle for over the right to repair has been heating up. The right to repair affects all of us because if we don’t have this, we cannot repair our equipment. We will remain beholden to the manufacturers and their overly strict rules and regulations.

In Massachusetts, a major breakthrough has just happened. According to the nonprofit organization, Right to Repair, named after its battle to allow consumers to “have the right to use it [electronics and other items], modify it, and repair it whenever, wherever, and however you want”, the Massachusetts Senate added an amendment to the state’s economic development bill. If the bill passes, it will allow for “portable wireless devices” to be repaired.

What is a “Portable Wireless Device”?

The amendment describes a portable wireless device as “a product which includes a battery, microphone, speaker and display designed to send and receive transmissions through a cellular radiotelephone service.” Essentially, this is government speak for cell phones. This will make it easier to repair cell phones so they stay in the market longer, cutting down on the more than 50 million tons of e-waste created every year. Only 20 percent of that e-waste is recycled. Here at eLoop, we are working to decrease the amount of electronic devices going to landfills. In 2021, eLoop’s recycling and reuse efforts cut the world’s carbon footprint by more than 12 million pounds. 

A tsunami of e-waste

Unrepairable cell phones greatly contribute to what the World Health Organization has called a “tsunami of e-waste” that is putting lives and health at risk” Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General, said "In the same way the world has rallied to protect the seas and their ecosystems from plastic and microplastic pollution, we need to rally to protect our most valuable resource –the health of our children – from the growing threat of e-waste.”

The Future of the Right to Repair

The right to repair battle wages on. Small victories like this will continue to push the movement. The right to repair movement affects not just electronics, but other equipment such as John Deere farm tractors. Without this movement, repairing what we own will be impossible.

Help in the battle by joining the Right to Repair today.