More and more electronics are being sold in the EU, contributing to waste generation. According to Eurostat, the amount of electrical and electronic equipment on the market increased from 7.6 million tonnes in 2012 to 14.4 million tonnes in 2022. However, while the amount of total e-waste collected in the bloc also increased during this period, only a fraction of electric and electronic equipment – 4 million tonnes in 2022 – is recycled and prepared for reuse.

To help reduce waste, pollution and resource extraction, my colleagues and I at the European Commission’s Joint Research Centre (JRC) designed a tool to help consumers make sustainable purchasing decisions: repairability scores for smartphones and tablets. The scores, now included on the EU energy label for these products, could help build a more circular economy.

The path to a circular economy

One reason why product waste is on the rise is the way products are designed. A good example is mobile phone batteries. According to a report prepared for the Commission by the Fraunhofer Institute for Reliability and Microintegration, the Fraunhofer Institute for Systems and Innovation Research and the Flemish Institute for Technological Research (VITO), these batteries were typically replaceable by end-users until 2011. But design practices shifted rapidly, and as the report shows, user-replaceable batteries became a rarity by 2020.

The share of mobile phones with user-replaceable batteries, 2000-2020

In the face of supply challenges for raw materials critical to achieving EU climate and digital objectives, there is an increased focus on circularity in the bloc. This should not come as a surprise: material circularity has multiple potential benefits. In a linear economy, raw material is extracted and turned into manufactured products, which are disposed of as waste after use. By contrast, a circular economy is a closed-loop system whereby resources are kept in circulation via reuse or recycling. Extending the lifetime of products by repairing them is a typical strategy for circularity. It reduces demand for both extraction and production, slowing down those resource loops, and generates savings for consumers as purchases become less frequent.

We developed the scoring system for smartphones and tablets based on a more general repairability scoring system that the JRC developed in 2019. Falling on an A to E scale (highest to lowest repairability), the scores began appearing on the EU energy label for these two kinds of devices, alongside other product information such as battery endurance and resistance to dust and water penetration (the “IP” rating), on June 20, 2025.

EU energy labelling regulations are often paired with the bloc’s Ecodesign regulations, which set minimum requirements for the same or similar qualities. While the minimum requirements in the Ecodesign regulations aim at ridding the EU market of “the worst-performing products”, the energy labelling regulations reward the products that perform best with consumer-facing high scores.

Evaluating repairability

To develop a method to determine repairability scores for smartphones and tablets, we dived into product characteristics to understand what makes repair easy or difficult.

First, we identified key components (“priority parts”). This allowed us to focus on components that are critical for a product to function and are associated with frequent failures. It also ensured that the assessment addresses failures that consumers face in daily life. Product analyses and consumer surveys revealed that batteries and screens are most vulnerable to failure. As such, the ability to replace them weighs in accordingly in the assessment. Cameras, ports, microphones and speakers were some of the other key components that formed part of the overall score.

As a second step, we identified the parameters that determine the ability to repair. These fell into two groups. The first is comprised of those related to the physical design of the product, and the effort and time needed for repair. They include the kind of tools that are required to access the components needing replacement, the way components are fastened together, and the number of steps it takes to remove a faulty component (“disassembly depth”).

The second group of parameters is comprised of those related to services provided by product manufacturers. These include the availability of spare parts to replace faulty ones, the availability of repair instructions (such as diagrams and disassembly maps) for independent professionals and consumers, and the length of time software updates are available.

The evaluation of all the parameters in both groups results in the aggregated repairability score that is now on EU energy labels for smartphones and tablets.

Benefits from more sustainable consumption

Increasing the lifetime of smartphones and tablets could help save raw materials, meet EU climate goals and reduce costs for consumers. According to an estimate in the Ecodesign Impact Accounting Overview Report 2024, a report prepared by the VHK consultancy for the Commission, in 2030, the EU Ecodesign and energy labelling regulations for mobile phones (of which the repairability score is part) are expected to save 0.2 megatonnes of CO2-equivalent emissions and €20 billion for consumers per year.

But there is more: if the scores stimulate consumer demand for more repairable products, supply could follow, with manufacturers looking to gain a competitive advantage on that basis. And eventually, you might have fewer wasted hours trying to recover your contacts, photos and user accounts from your broken phone.

Beyond smartphones and tablets

The methodology behind the scores for smartphones and tablets is highly adaptable. Selecting the priority parts and repairability parameters that correspond to the technical characteristics and market conditions of a given product can be used for a variety of appliances and devices.

In April, the European Commission announced plans to propose repairability requirements (including repairability scores) for more consumer electronics and small household appliances, under the EU Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation. As such, consumers may have more readily accessible information about repairability in the coming years.

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This article is republished from The Conversation, a nonprofit, independent news organization bringing you facts and trustworthy analysis to help you make sense of our complex world. It was written by: Christoforos Spiliotopoulos, Joint Research Centre (JRC)

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Christoforos Spiliotopoulos ne travaille pas, ne conseille pas, ne possède pas de parts, ne reçoit pas de fonds d'une organisation qui pourrait tirer profit de cet article, et n'a déclaré aucune autre affiliation que son organisme de recherche.