In a way, it will be the sales all year round… Not to buy new, but to have it repaired. Of the two options, it is too often the first, yet much less ecological, which wins in the hearts of the French.
“Consumers give up repair when it costs on average more than 30% of the price of new”, points out Ronan Groussier, head of public affairs for the association Stop programmed obsolescence (HOP). This ceiling arrives fairly quickly, especially since the price of new devices has continued to drop over the past fifteen years, recalls Ademe in the 2019 edition of its study on the French and repair.
A repair fund that will cover 10% of the invoice
Hence the “repair fund”, which will cover part of the bill of those who repair, thus lowering the cost of this option. This measure of the anti-waste law for a circular economy (Agec) of February 2021 must apply, to begin with, to electrical and electronic equipment (EEE). Where the stakes are greatest. Already because we have plenty of them in the house. The Group of brands of home appliances (Gifam) estimated the French fleet at 208 million units just for large household appliances. Or seven per household. And on this equipment, “three quarters of the emissions they generate over their entire life cycle are produced during their manufacture”, adds Ronan Gousier.
Concretely, the reduction granted will take the form of a fixed price according to the type of product, with a minimum threshold of 10%, if we stick to the last implementing decree which details the regulations, published on December 31. . Any consumer who goes to a certified repairer will be able to benefit from it, including therefore if his device is no longer guaranteed, and this from the moment of payment. It will be the repairer’s responsibility to take the steps to recover the amount of the reduction from the fund.
In principle, the device is reminiscent of the “bicycle boost” introduced in spring 2020 to encourage the French to repair their bicycles and get back in the saddle with a view to deconfinement. After several extensions, the operation, which supported up to 50 euros of the invoice, was stopped last March. It benefited 1.3 million French people and enabled 1.9 million repairs to 4,371 repairers.
“Involve producers in waste prevention”
The reparation fund could experience the same success. In any case, he has a boulevard in front of him. “The repair rate of broken down EEE [hors garantie] is only 10% according to Ademe ”, points out Ronan Gousier. The Agec law sets the objective of reaching 60% by 2026. Alice Elfassi, head of legal affairs for Zéro Waste France, an association specializing in waste issues, sees another advantage in this repair fund. “It will not be matched by the State, but by the manufacturers who put these devices on the market,” she explains.
Since 2006, the EEE sector has been subject to Extended Producer Responsibility: it requires companies in the sector to set up eco-organizations that they finance via an eco-contribution, in order to take charge of the collection and recycling of waste. waste they generate. “But it ended there,” continues Alice Elfassi. These eco-organizations managed the disposal of their waste. And the reparation fund acts on the principle that they must also participate in preventing them, which is the priority. “
So much for the promises. The catch? This reparation fund was to come into effect on January 1. This is still not the case this Wednesday, and it should not be before June 1 … at the earliest. On December 21, the Ministry of Ecological Transition considered that the file submitted by the eco-organizations, which will pilot the repair fund, was not satisfactory.
An ambition halved?
A setback not to the taste of Ecosystem, one of the two eco-organizations in the EEE sector, which denounced this last-minute postponement as an “irresponsible attitude” on the part of the government. “With hindsight, we can understand it, estimates René-Louis Perrier, president of Ecologic, the second eco-organization in the sector. This fund is complex to set up, much more so than the Bike Helping Hand. For the first year of operation, the State is asking the EEE sector to provide it with 20 million euros. “But the whole particularity of this sector is to have two eco-organizations which do not quite represent the same companies,” resumes René-Louis Perrier. We must therefore create two funds and know how to distribute the financial effort between Ecologic and Ecosystem. This point is not entirely resolved, and this is only an example. “
For René-Louis Perrier, it is therefore better to take a little more time to settle these technical points. ZéroWaste and HOP do not take offense either, even if Ronan Groussier speaks of a “bad signal sent”. But there is something more serious for the two NGOs. “Initially, the regulations provided for the repair fund to cover at least 20% of the estimated repair costs for individuals,” recalls Alice Elfassi. But this threshold has been reduced to 10%, in particular in the decree of December 31. The head of legal affairs for Zero Waste France denounces the lobbying of industrialists. “Last June, Ademe published an estimate of the amount that would need to be raised to achieve this 20%, ie between 200 and 230 million euros,” she continues. Manufacturers found it to be too expensive. “
The amount to be raised fell to 102 million euros. But the disappointment does not end there for Ronan Gousier and Alice Elfassi. “A very gradual ramp-up is now planned,” they explain. So with this first step to raise 20 million euros for the first year of operation. The milestone of 102 million euros is only set for 2027. “
Soon also toys, sports articles, DIY …
For its part, Gifam ensures that manufacturers have nothing to do with lowering the funding threshold. “A first impact study carried out in 2019 aimed for a target of 70 million euros to be raised. The government has decided between this first estimate and that of Ademe ”, we explain. As for the gradual rise of the fund, René-Louis Perrier, at Ecologic, sees an advantage. “It will make it possible to ensure that this very innovative device really meets the objectives,” he explains. That is to say, targets as a priority the breakdowns for which consumers are most reluctant to have them repaired and benefits all those involved in the repair. “
“But starting so slowly, the risk is that this repair fund will go completely unnoticed, worries Ronan Gousier. Especially from repairers. They will not seize the device, especially since it adds administrative work to them, if the reductions are derisory. “
By skating too much on electrical and electronic equipment, the fund could end up taking off elsewhere. Similar devices are in fact planned, in the course of the year, in the toy, sporting goods and DIY sectors, for which PWR channels have just been created. “This time around, the ambition is still to cover a single minimum of 20% of the repair costs,” says Ronan Gousier.