Right to repair: Directive 2024/1799 enters into force

Directive (EU) 2024/1799 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 13 June 2024, on common rules promoting the repair of goods, was published in the Official Journal on 10 July 2024. It amends earlier consumer rules: Regulation (EU) 2017/2394 and Directives 2019/771 and 2020/1828. The point is simple. Repair should be easier and cheaper than replacement. A manufacturer must not block it through missing parts, prohibitive prices or software that stops anyone from intervening. The consolidated version of the act has applied since 31 July 2026, which closes the implementation period in the member states.

A mountain of waste

The scale of the problem is well documented. In an analysis published on 23 June 2026, heise online reports that the European Union generates 35 million tonnes of waste every year for one reason alone: products are thrown away early instead of being repaired. The examples are concrete. Smartphones with built-in batteries. Washing machines with no spare parts on sale. Manufacturers who block repairs with software locks. On top of that come new labelling duties, which require products to carry information about the right to repair.

Germany catches up

On 23 May 2026 the Bundestag passed a package of laws modernising how Germany applies the European ecodesign and energy labelling rules. The coalition factions CDU/CSU and SPD voted for the changes, the opposition against. As heise online reports, the reform gives volunteers, among them people who run repair cafés, the right to receive spare parts. It also tightens market surveillance.

Clothing is a good too

For fashion, the scope of the term "goods" matters. The directive covers consumer products, so the pressure on the availability of parts, technical documentation and repair after the warranty extends to clothing and footwear as well: zips, buttons, linings, soles. Brands that built their model on disposability now have to work out whether it is cheaper to sew in a way that allows repair, or to pay for lost reputation and rising regulatory demands.