Parliament definitively adopted a law on Tuesday that forces sellers of refurbished phones and computers to pay a fee of ten euros. For a representative of the sector, this is a halt to the reconditioning activity.
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The Parliament adopted Tuesday, November 2, by a final vote of the Senate, a text of law establishing a royalty on the sales of smartphones and refurbished computers. This royalty, which already applies to new devices, will be used to finance copyright. “These ten euros will represent a real additional cost for the sector”, denounced on franceinfo Benoît Varlin, president of the Professional Federation of Reuse and Repair.
This law, the objective of which is to reduce the environmental footprint of digital technology in France, “will slow down the growth of the French reconditioning sector”, assures Benoît Varlin, while the sector is growing by “30% per year”, with “10 to 15% of telephones used in France which come from reconditioning”. Il worries indeed that this royalty leads to a drop in sales.
“If it’s more expensive, buyers will turn to cheaper products, often from Asia and which do not comply with French and European regulations. We will therefore sell less.”
Benoît Varlin, President of the Professional Federation for Reuse and Repairto franceinfo
He also says he fears a drop in margins and the competitiveness of French companies compared to foreign firms. While the COP26 in Glasgow (Scotland, United Kingdom) opened on Sunday, Benoît Varlin recalls that reconditioned devices are seen as an alternative to the production of new devices, which represents “80% of the digital environmental footprint in France”.