the revaluation of the amount of aid remains insufficient, according to the Halte à l’obsolescence programmed association

The repair bonus, this device put in place by the government in mid-December to encourage consumers to have their devices repaired rather than throwing them away and buying another one, will be revised upwards in the fall.

REPORTING. A mixed record for the first months of the repair bonus

From October, this bonus will focus on a very common problem: broken smartphone screens. This autumn, this bonus will be slightly increased, up to five euros more for a large part of the products already eligible today for the repair boost. In detail, this means that for vacuum cleaners, hair dryers, or even microwave ovens, the bonus will go from 15 to 20 euros. For a fixed computer, the aid increases from 45 to 50 euros.

All of this is positive but not enough, according to the HOP association (Halt to planned obsolescence), which reminds us that today “the bonus applies to products which we know are still very difficult to repair: small appliances such as toasters, hair dryers, etc. Very few professionals repair them and recommend buying new instead.“, challenges the association.

The Psychological Threshold Theory

This revolarization, according to HOP, is insufficient “so that consumers are sure to choose to repair rather than buy a device“, estimates the association which argues that “the psychological threshold would be at a third of the value of new“.
Three large appliances could be eligible in September: washing machine, dishwasher, extractor hood or television, with a bonus equivalent to 30% of the price of a new machine. This test would confirm or invalidate the psychological threshold theory.

The stakes are high for the government, knowing that in 2022, electrical and electronic devices produced 1.8 million tonnes of waste, as much as before the Covid-19 epidemic.