The European Parliament has approved a legislative draft whose main objective is to deal with misleading labeling , and it is very clear how to do it, improving product labeling, preventing the listing of characteristics that are not reliably demonstrated, such as environmental data, and forcing manufacturers to list possible restrictions when repairing such products.
This regulation is presented as a European directive, which means that in the end it will depend on each Member State of the Union to adapt and integrate it into its own legal framework . Therefore, it will not be mandatory, although this does not change the fact that, deep down, it is very positive in order to protect the consumer.
This directive will tackle the use of false environmental claims on numerous products , such as “climate neutral” or “environmentally friendly”. In order to use them, they must be duly substantiated and supported by real and detailed evidence.
In the draft we can also see that it will be necessary to establish a clear label that includes the cost of product repairs, as well as the possible restrictions that this product may have if the consumer decides that the repairs are carried out by a third party.
This issue is very important, and can have a notable impact on certain products that, in one way or another, establish clear limitations that prevent repairs from third parties that are not considered “authorized establishments”. Apple would be the clearest example.
Thanks to this directive, consumers would be clearer about certain aspects of the products they are going to buy, but there is also another very important point that is present in this draft and that I wanted to leave for last because it seems to me one of the most important, the planned obsolescence and battery life , as well as other features and design guidelines that may limit the useful life of a product.
The European Union wants to fight against misleading advertising and claims that can affect all these issues , and that can make the consumer believe that they are buying a device that will have a longer useful life than the real one. Taking into account that batteries are one of the most important components, and that they wear out faster from simple daily use, it is clear that Europe has managed to pull a fine line with this eraser.
Finally, we can see in this draft that the obligation to offer full support of third-party accessories, such as chargers and replacement parts, will also be established without limiting their functions in any way. The latter is also important because, as we told you at the time, the possibility was being considered that Apple could limit certain functions of its new iPhone 15 with USB Type-C connector to the original cables of the apple company, which, with this new directive, it could no longer do.