“Can a Label Make Products Last? France’s Repairability Index and the Limits of Consumer Information” by Clara Nguyen
Article Title: Can a Label Make Products Last? France’s Repairability Index and the Limits of Consumer Information
Author: Clara Nguyen
Date Published: July 29, 2026
Publication: Agora Review
Category: Research Article
Discipline(s): Environmental Policy, Consumer Economics, Sustainability Studies
Keywords: repairability index; France; right to repair; electronic waste; consumer labeling; planned obsolescence; durability; circular economy
Suggested Citation: Nguyen, Clara. “Can a Label Make Products Last? France’s Repairability Index and the Limits of Consumer Information” Agora Review, July 29, 2026.
Download Full Article PDF
Abstract
In January 2021, France introduced a repairability index requiring selected electronic and household products to display a score indicating how easily they could be repaired. The policy was designed to address two related problems: consumers often lack reliable information about repairability when making purchases, and manufacturers have weak incentives to design products that can be maintained rather than replaced. France’s index offers a promising case study in whether information presented at the point of sale can influence both consumer choice and product design.
Early evidence provides grounds for cautious optimism. An evaluation based on sales data from two major retailers found that the introduction of the index was associated with increased sales of more repairable products, particularly online, while the repairability scores of products offered for sale also rose. Behavioral research conducted at the European level similarly suggests that clear durability and repairability information can meaningfully affect purchasing decisions. However, France’s experience also reveals serious limitations. Manufacturers calculate their own scores, compliance has been inconsistent, and a high score does not guarantee that repairs will later be affordable, convenient, or technically possible. Information labels also place substantial responsibility on consumers without necessarily changing the market conditions that make replacement easier than repair.
This article argues that France’s repairability index is a valuable but incomplete environmental policy. Its greatest contribution may be establishing repairability as a visible and measurable product characteristic. To produce lasting reductions in waste, however, labeling must be combined with independent verification, minimum design requirements, affordable spare parts, accessible repair services, and systematic measurement of actual product lifespans and repair rates.
Author’s Note
I chose this topic because environmental policies often ask consumers to make better choices without giving them the information they would need to do so. When people buy a phone, laptop, television, or appliance, they can usually compare the price, size, appearance, and technical features. It is much harder to know whether the product can be opened without damaging it, whether replacement parts will still exist several years later, or whether repairing one broken component will cost almost as much as buying a new device.
France’s repairability index interested me because it attempts to make this hidden information visible. The idea is surprisingly simple: place a score beside the price so consumers can compare products before purchasing them. In theory, that score can influence not only shoppers but also manufacturers that do not want their products to appear less repairable than those of their competitors.
At first, I saw the policy as an elegant solution to electronic waste. As I researched it, however, I became more aware of the gap between making repairability visible and making repair realistic. A product may receive a respectable score while still being expensive or inconvenient to repair. Consumers may care about sustainability but choose a cheaper or more familiar product. Manufacturers may also interpret scoring criteria in ways that improve their ratings without making equally meaningful improvements to the products themselves.
I therefore wanted this article to avoid presenting the French policy as either a breakthrough or a failure. I think it represents a meaningful step toward a more circular economy, particularly because it changes what consumers and companies are expected to consider. At the same time, its limitations demonstrate why environmental labels cannot carry the entire burden of reform. My hope is that this article encourages readers to think about information policies not as substitutes for regulation, but as one useful part of a larger system.
References
[1] International Telecommunication Union, United Nations Institute for Training and Research. The Global E-waste Monitor 2024 [Internet]. Geneva: ITU; 2024. Available from: https://www.itu.int/en/ITU-D/Environment/Pages/Publications/The-Global-E-waste-Monitor-2024.aspx
[2] France. Loi n° 2020-105 du 10 février 2020 relative à la lutte contre le gaspillage et à l’économie circulaire, Article 16 [Internet]. Paris: Légifrance; 2020. Available from: https://www.legifrance.gouv.fr/jorf/article_jo/JORFARTI000041553781
[3] Ministère de la Transition écologique. Indice de réparabilité [Internet]. Paris: Gouvernement français; updated 2025 Jul 8. Available from: https://www.ecologie.gouv.fr/politiques-publiques/indice-reparabilite
[4] European Commission. Behavioural study on consumers’ engagement in the circular economy: executive summary [Internet]. Brussels: European Commission; 2018. Available from: https://commission.europa.eu/document/download/974d7fab-98d5-4c7e-8e35-d4ddaf109c1e_en
[5] European Commission, Directorate-General for Environment. Consumer study on the impact of reparability information formats on consumer understanding and purchase decisions [Internet]. Luxembourg: Publications Office of the European Union; 2021. doi:10.2779/402259. Available from: https://op.europa.eu/en/publication-detail/-/publication/46076b42-669a-11eb-aeb5-01aa75ed71a1
[6] Direction interministérielle de la transformation publique. Indice de réparabilité: quel impact sur l’achat de produits plus réparables? [Internet]. Paris: Gouvernement français; 2023 [updated 2025 Feb 18]. Available from: https://www.modernisation.gouv.fr/publications/indice-de-reparabilite-quel-impact-sur-lachat-de-produits-plus-reparables
[7] Halte à l’Obsolescence Programmée. The French repairability index: first assessment one year after its introduction [Internet]. Paris: HOP; 2022. Available from: https://www.halteobsolescence.org/publication/french-repairability-index/
[8] Direction générale de la concurrence, de la consommation et de la répression des fraudes. Indice de réparabilité: trop de flou sur les calculs [Internet]. Paris: Ministère de l’Économie; 2024 Mar 20. Available from: https://www.economie.gouv.fr/dgccrf/laction-de-la-dgccrf/les-enquetes/indice-de-reparabilite-trop-de-flou-sur-les-calculs
[9] Direction générale de la concurrence, de la consommation et de la répression des fraudes. Un indice de réparabilité encore imparfaitement établi chez les professionnels contrôlés [Internet]. Paris: Ministère de l’Économie; 2024 Nov 26. Available from: https://www.economie.gouv.fr/dgccrf/laction-de-la-dgccrf/les-enquetes/un-indice-de-reparabilite-encore-imparfaitement-etabli
[10] Ministère de la Transition écologique. Indice de durabilité [Internet]. Paris: Gouvernement français; updated 2025 Jun 30. Available from: https://www.ecologie.gouv.fr/politiques-publiques/indice-durabilite
[11] European Commission. Smartphones and tablets: ecodesign and energy labelling requirements [Internet]. Brussels: European Commission. Available from: https://energy-efficient-products.ec.europa.eu/product-list/smartphones-and-tablets_en
[12] European Parliament and Council of the European Union. Directive (EU) 2024/1799 of 13 June 2024 on common rules promoting the repair of goods. Off J Eur Union. 2024. Available from: https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX:32024L1799