The crystallization of EU regulations is underway, which  — according to — , are intended to reduce the amount of generated electronic waste. The burden of extending the life of smartphones is to fall on their manufacturers.
According to the preliminary draft of —  regulations, which are to come into force in 2023 — , manufacturers would have, among others:
Such regulations would require a complete overhaul of business strategy by all manufacturers. Currently, there is simply no phone that would meet all standards. iPhones are close because Apple releases software updates for an exceptionally long time, but even they have batteries with a lifespan twice as short as what politicians dream of.
Germany wants even stricter regulations
Already in this form, the regulations seem to be detached from reality. It's hard to expect budget smartphone manufacturers to provide them with long-term update support. Not to mention that it is not always possible, because sometimes new versions of the software are simply not compatible with old components.
And yet, the German Ministry of Economy and Energy wants the European Union to tighten the regulations even more and force manufacturers to release security patches not for 5, but for 7 years.
There is rather no chance of passing the regulations in this form
According to DigitalEurope, which represents 61 of the largest technology companies, the proposed regulations are too far-reaching.
She argues that it would be optimal to introduce regulations that force the release of software updates for 2 years and security patches for 3 years.
When it comes to access to spare parts, the association says that only some of the key components, such as displays and batteries, should be supplied for 5 years, as other components are less likely to fail.
DigitalEurope also points out that there are currently few suppliers that would be able to produce batteries that meet the proposed efficiency standards (80% efficiency after 1000 charging cycles). It has been suggested to reduce the requirement to 800 cycles as part of a transitional period.
Of course, as consumers, we should primarily care about our own and the environment's well-being, not the corporation's. Let us remember, however, that if manufacturers are forced to take steps that do not work for them, we will pay for it at the end of the day. There is no chance that turning the rules prevailing on the market upside down will not translate into an increase in prices.
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