The Right to Repair and why it matters to Washington

Once upon a time not that long ago, when you bought a product it came with a manual, it was relatively easy to repair, and its parts were widely available. Not so much anymore. Manufacturers of electronics and appliances too often require consumers to go back to the manufacturer or their “authorized service providers.” These legal, digital and physical barriers make it all but impossible for the owner of the product to repair their own stuff.

The results include money wasted by consumers on new products they don’t actually need as well as waste in the form of trash, much of it toxic. In Washington alone, we toss away an estimated 3 million cell phones per year. Americans dispose of an estimated 416,000 cell phones every day, a manufacturing habit that takes some 23.7 million tons of raw material to satisfy each year.

The Right to Repair bill would let us fix our stuff

That’s why we’re working to pass the Right to Repair bill in Washington —  to give every consumer and every small repair shop access to the parts, tools and service information they need to repair our stuff.

The Right to Repair bill would also be good for our environment. Consider this: 85% of the energy and climate impact associated with a smartphone comes from manufacturing. Therefore, if every Washingtonian extended the life of their phone by just one year, it would be the climate pollution equivalent of removing nearly 15,000 cars off the road.

Being able to fix phones, computers and appliances instead of buying new would also save the average Washington household $382 per year. That adds up to more than $1.1 billion in savings across all Washington households every year.

Washington residents want our state lawmakers to pass Right to Repair legislation — nearly 70% according to a 2022 poll. Our campaign is building on our landmark success in neighboring Oregon, bringing together Washingtonians from all across the state and political spectrum — from environment advocates to business owners and farmers — to overcome manufacturer opposition and win lasting change.

A surging Right to Repair movement

We know what it takes to overcome the opposition from companies like Apple and Amazon — WashPIRG has taken on the biggest special interests in Washington for decades to deliver real results. We’ve also gotten close to winning Right to Repair here in the last few years. This year we are ramping up efforts, working with the team that helped win Right to Repair in Oregon this year, and expanding our campaign to make sure that Washingtonians can fix their stuff. 

It’s simple: you should be able to do what you want with what you own. Right to Repair puts the power back in the hands of consumers while reducing waste, cutting climate pollution, and bridging the digital divide. The time has come in Washington for Right to Repair.