The average smartphone lasts only between one or two years. Other small electrical appliances, toys, clothes and shirts have an equally short life-expectancy, according to a paper by the European Parliament’s research service. Laptops, bicycles, sports clothing or bed items do not fare much better and usually have to be replaced after three or four years. On 4 July MEPs adopted a report calling for concrete measures to tackle this waste of money, energy and resources.



Higher standards and modular design



MEPs want to see longer-lasting products on the market. They are calling for minimum standards that could be set with help from European standardisation organisations.



French Greens/EFA member Pascal Durand, who wrote the report on the lifetime of products, wants to encourage the modular construction of goods, so that they can easily be mended and upgraded. Other possible improvements involve manufacturers using easily replaceable materials and techniques that allow for repairs (for example using screws rather than melding parts together).