While the U.S. has moved toward policies that are less friendly to the environment and consumers, the European Union has been updating its rules to make products easier to repair. These changes can help American consumers, even if they never visit Europe.

The EU Right to Repair Directive was finalized in July 2024 and will become law in all EU countries by July 2026. It sets new rules for manufacturers that affect the global supply chain, including products Americans use at home and at work.

There are billions of reasons to accelerate repair services. According to the UN’s Global E-waste Monitor 2024, the world generated a record 62 million tonnes of electronic waste in 2022. That’s an 82% increase compared to 2010. Less than a quarter of e-waste was properly collected and recycled, leaving approximately $62 billion in recoverable natural resources unaccounted for. Americans contribute significantly to this problem, disposing of approximately 416,000 cell phones daily and generating nearly 8 million tons of e-waste annually.

The European Commission estimates that premature disposal of consumer electronics results in 261 million tons of CO2-equivalent emissions annually and costs EU consumers about €12 billion annually in unnecessary replacements. The American story is similar: U.S. PIRG research indicates that easy device repair could save an average family $330 every year.

What the EU Right To Repair Directive Does

The Right to Repair Directive, combined with the Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation introduced in 2025, creates a multi-layered framework requiring manufacturers to:

Provide Repair Beyond the Warranty: Manufacturers must repair products at a consumer’s request even after the warranty expires, unless repair is impossible or more expensive than replacement. If consumers choose repair during the warranty period, that warranty automatically extends by 12 months.

Provide Spare Parts: For smartphones and tablets, manufacturers must make 15 types of spare parts available to professional repairers within 5 to 10 working days for seven years after a model is discontinued. Five key parts—including batteries, displays, and back covers—must also be available to consumers.

Publish Repair Information: Manufacturers must provide repair manuals, diagnostic tools, and pricing information for spare parts on accessible websites.

Support Software Longevity: Devices must receive operating system updates for at least five years from the date they were last available for purchase.

Display Repairability Scores: Starting June 2025, smartphones and tablets in the EU must carry standardized energy labels displaying battery life, durability, and repairability scores.

The Right To Repair directive also prohibits manufacturers from using contractual clauses, hardware, or software techniques that impede repair, a direct challenge to practices like “parts pairing” that have frustrated independent repair shops.

Real Changes in Europe—And Beyond

The regulations have already produced tangible results. Apple expanded its Self Service Repair program to 32 European countries in June 2024, making diagnostic tools previously available only to authorized service providers accessible to consumers.

Apple’s Self Service Repair Store now supports 65 Apple products, including iPhones, iPads, Macs, and displays. Perhaps more significantly, Apple redesigned its battery attachment system, implementing electrically induced adhesive debonding technology that makes battery removal easier. These design changes, made for European compliance, benefit American consumers who purchase the same globally-distributed devices.

Samsung launched its Self-Repair program across nine European countries in 2023, partnering with parts distributors to make genuine Samsung parts available for Galaxy phones and laptops.

“Any European who has a phone with a damaged screen and who wishes to repair it by themselves will soon have a legal right to obtain the necessary parts and repair instructions from the manufacturer,” said Thomas Opsomer, iFixit’s EU policy advocate. “This is a huge win for all fixers, as it will affect the smartphone ecosystem worldwide.”

What EU Repair Rules Mean for Americans

The EU’s influence as a global regulatory trendsetter, which first showed its efficacy when the Common Charger Directive pushed Apple to adopt USB-C, means American consumers often benefit from European regulations even without domestic equivalents.

“Right to Repair seeks to restore repair access to all of us, so that once you buy something, you truly own it, rather than the manufacturer still having a say in what you do with it,” explained Nathan Proctor, Senior Director of U.S. PIRG’s Campaign for the Right to Repair. The bipartisan support for repair legislation—84% of Americans support requiring manufacturers to provide repair access—reflects growing consumer frustration with disposable electronics.

The practical impacts for American consumers include:

Improved Product Design: When manufacturers redesign products to meet European repairability requirements, those changes often appear in American versions of the same devices.

Expanded Parts Availability: Companies investing in repair infrastructure for Europe often extend those programs domestically. Apple’s Self Service Repair, Microsoft’s partnership with iFixit for Surface repair parts, and Google’s expanding repair partnerships all reflect this trend.

Lower Repair Costs Through Competition: As manufacturers are forced to supply parts to independent repairers in Europe, American independent repair shops benefit from the expanded parts ecosystem.

Better Battery Longevity: EU requirements that batteries retain at least 80% capacity after 800 charge cycles set a new baseline that influences global battery quality standards.

U.S. Right to Repair Progress

American repair advocates aren’t waiting for EU benefits to trickle down. As of January 2026, more than one-quarter of Americans live in states with enforceable Right to Repair laws, with that number expected to exceed 35% by fall 2026 as laws in Connecticut and Texas take effect.

California’s Right to Repair Act, Oregon’s groundbreaking legislation that addresses parts pairing, and similar laws in New York, Minnesota, Colorado, and Washington represent significant progress. The Fair Repair Act, a Congressional bill introduced in May 2024, could reduce household electronics spending by 22%, saving families approximately $330 per year and generating $40 billion in total national savings.

“People need to fix things, and manufacturers’ behavior toward repair is damaging and unacceptable,” U.S. PIRG’s Nathan Proctor said. “It’s common sense, and it is becoming increasingly clear that manufacturers’ attempts to thwart repair will no longer be tolerated.”

Local Repair Options for Americans

Whether or not your state has passed repair legislation, options exist for fixing rather than replacing broken electronics:

iFixit

The San Luis Obispo-based company has become the central hub of the repair movement. While iFixit doesn’t operate retail stores or repair services, their partner repair providers (find local options) provide free step-by-step repair guides for thousands of products, sell quality replacement parts and precision toolkits, and advocate for repair legislation worldwide. The iFixit Pro program supports independent repair shops with discounted tools and parts. iFixit toolkits are also available at retailers, including Home Depot and Best Buy.

Independent Repair Shops

Networks like iFixandRepair, with over 400 locations across the United States, offer fast smartphone, tablet, and laptop repairs. Local independent shops can often be found through Yelp, Thumbtack, or the iFixit community forums. These businesses compete with manufacturer-authorized repair centers, often at lower prices and with faster turnaround times.

Repair Cafés

Community-based Repair Cafés offer free repair events where volunteer experts help fix everything from electronics to clothing to small appliances. Started in the Netherlands, the repair café movement has spread to hundreds of locations across the United States, including active programs in California’s Silicon Valley, North Carolina, New York’s Hudson Valley, and many other communities. These events keep items out of landfills while transferring repair knowledge to communities.

Manufacturer Self-Repair Programs

Apple’s Self Service Repair program now covers 65 products with parts, tools, and documentation available directly to consumers through the Self Service Repair Store. Samsung’s Self-Repair program provides access to genuine parts for Galaxy devices, with parts available through Samsung Parts and repair guides on Samsung’s support site. For older Galaxy models, iFixit’s Samsung collaboration page offers parts and guides. While these programs have limitations and costs that critics find problematic, they represent progress from the complete lockouts of previous years.

Beyond Repair, Reliability

The EU’s Right to Repair represents more than consumer convenience; it’s a crucial step toward a circular economy that keeps materials in use rather than flowing to landfills. With e-waste projected to reach 82 million tonnes by 2030 and recycling efforts not keeping pace with production, extending product lifespans through repair is essential environmental policy.

Whether you’re replacing a cracked phone screen, swapping a laptop battery, or breathing new life into an aging appliance, the tools and resources to repair are increasingly available—thanks in part to regulations enacted on the other side of the ocean.