Right to repair: Obsolescence, regulation and its impact on e-waste

Abstract

This article will explain how planned and perceived obsolescence generates technological waste, better known as e-waste, which largely contributes to climate change. Likewise, it will be studied how the right to repair technology can contribute to the reduction and reuse of technology, significantly reducing e-waste. Evidence will also be shown of how the right to compensation is becoming an alternative to fight the consequences that emanate from e-waste. The efforts of companies and governments that seek to combat these effects are addressed, such as the reconditioned technology that derives from recycling centers, which also turn out to be a lucrative business. Arguments against the right to repair, such as intellectual property, difficulty of repair, and user safety, will also be explained. In this sense, the legal frameworks of the European Community and the United States of America are explored, which are contrasted with those of Mexico and Latin American countries. In this way, it is concluded that, although we are facing an unfavorable scenario, current efforts point in the right direction