Danny Katz
Executive Director, CoPIRG
Colorado leaders recognized for nation-leading Right to Repair policies
Media Contacts
DENVER — A new CoPIRG survey of Right to Repair laws released Monday shows that Coloradans have the broadest repair rights of anyone in the country and this ability to fix things generates huge consumer and environmental benefits. According to a new CoPIRG report, if Right to Repair policies allowed people to extend the life of 12 common electronics and appliances (such as cell phones, computers and dishwashers) by just one year, Colorado would cut its climate pollution by the equivalent of driving typical cars nearly 350 million miles.
To mark Colorado’s nation-leading status, repair advocates on Monday delivered “Certificates of Awesomeness” to the sponsors of the various Right to Repair laws the state legislature has passed in recent years. They included state Reps. Brianna Titone (3 laws), Ron Weinberg (1 law) and Steven Woodrow (1 law) and Sens. Nick Hinrichsen (2 laws), Jeff Bridges (1 law) and Janice Marchman (1 law). Gov. Jared Polis also earned a Certificate of Awesomeness for signing into law all three of those bills.
“Here, there and everywhere — people just want to fix their stuff,” said CoPIRG’s Executive Director Danny Katz. “Coloradans are fed up with all the ways in which manufacturers of everything from toasters to tractors frustrate or block repairs. Colorado’s legislators have teamed up with the governor to take action. The result? The broadest repair rights of any state in the nation.”
Right to Repair legislation requires manufacturers to allow consumers and independent businesses to access parts, tools and documentation needed to repair a range of electronic products. When people can fix their own stuff or choose a local business to fix it, rather than having to rely on a manufacturer-authorized repairer, it reduces waste and pollution, cuts costs for consumers and helps things work the way they are supposed to.
CoPIRG’s data on the environmental benefits of repair can be found here.
CoPIRG’s survey of Right to Repair laws is here.
