Right to repair: the state of a movement

What is the state of the right to repair movement, and how should companies consider and align with its mission?

The COVID-19 pandemic, and the ventilator shortage that came with it, has shone a light on the U.S.’s critical need for rapid repair of existing medical products. Yet much like consumer products across the board, ventilator manufacturers and providers have installed numerous roadblocks to the repair and maintenance of their wares. The right to repair movement, which advocates for access to design schematics and repair manuals, along with more repairable design and broader availability of components and parts, offers a timely rebuttal to the complexity of repairing products in the 21st century. With legislation proposed in over 20 states, this movement was gaining traction before the coronavirus struck, revealing the criticality of its mission.

Speakers:

• Kyle Wiens, CEO, iFixit
• Kipp Bradford, President, kippkitts, LLC
• Dawn Danby, Co-founder, Spherical

Summary:

• Dawn Danby introduces the topic of circularity and sustainable design, emphasizing the importance of repair in circular systems.
• Kyle Wiens from iFixit discusses the importance of repair in building a circular economy. He highlights the need for legislation to overcome systematic obstacles that companies put in place to restrict repair.
• Right to repair legislation is being introduced at both state and federal levels in the US, and similar initiatives are happening in Europe.
• Kip Bradford focuses on the refrigeration and cooling industry, demonstrating a refrigerator compressor and discussing its critical role in modern life.
• Bradford highlights the environmental impact of cooling technologies, noting that Project Drawdown identified refrigeration and air conditioning as the number one contributor to global warming.
• The conversation emphasizes the need for modularity and repairability in product design, particularly in the cooling industry.
• Bradford mentions that regulation is often the primary driver of innovation in the HVAC industry.
• The discussion concludes with a projection that the number of air conditioners worldwide could increase from 1.5 billion to 5 billion in the next 20 years, highlighting the urgent need for sustainable practices in this sector.