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~ Wijnand Jongen ~

A tangible “Right to repair”
Keeping in mind the circularity of products – the
Commission will publish a legislative proposal to amend
consumer legislation later this year. It will focus on issues
such as legal guarantees and remedies in the case of defects to
try and steer consumers towards repair.

But we can and should go further. A “Right to repair” should
not focus only on granting new legal rights, especially when
the right conditions are not in place to fulfil these rights. GET INVOLVED!
We advocate for rules that can unleash the potential for Become Ecommerce Europe Company Member PLUS and contribute to the
repair and create the right market conditions allowing for shaping of European policies fit for the digital commerce sector.
accessible, affordable, quality repair services for consumers
and businesses. Our priority should be ensuring better design, Scan the QR code, visit www.ecommerce-europe.eu or reach out to us
facilitating repair and access to spare parts. But essentially, at [email protected] to learn more about the benefits of
it should be lifting the remaining barriers to conducting a membership.
repair.

Leveraging digitalisation for better consumer
information
As part of the package of measures mentioned earlier,
the Commission also submitted a proposal to “Empower
consumers in the green transition” just recently in March.
Consumers do indeed have a key role to play. Their choices
have an impact on the environment and drive long-term
changes in the market.

We fully support the objectives of harmonising the
information that should be given to consumers to help them
make the right decisions. But we encourage policymakers in
Brussels to look at the market and the means and tools to
provide that information.

Considering the pace of digitalisation, the last thing we
need is prescriptive rules on the ways to communicate that
information to consumers. The retail industry is in the
midst of a large reflection on how to best communicate
“the circular story”. It also needs to innovate to close
the gap between consumers’ attitudes and intentions and
their actual behaviour online when purchasing goods and
services. From sustainability filters, dynamic sustainability
product recommendations or ensuring communication
with consumers throughout a product’s life-cycle, there are
a lot of options to help consumers choose better and keep
their products longer. Exploring these practices should be
encouraged.

How do we ensure that future EU rules match our ambitions?
By sharing best practices and examples and by informing
policymakers about the mechanics behind making our
businesses circular. ••

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