Repairability
The Right to Repair Directive and the DPP
What the EU Right to Repair Directive introduces, which products it covers and how repair information is presented in a Digital Product Passport.
The EU's Right to Repair Directive strengthens consumers' ability to have products repaired, both within and beyond the guarantee period, and widens manufacturers' duties to supply spare parts and information. Together with ESPR's repairability requirements, repair information becomes publishable data.
What it introduces
| Topic | Content |
|---|---|
| Repair obligation | A duty to repair certain products |
| Information provision | Accessible spare part, price and repair information |
| Independent repairers | Non-discriminatory access to parts and information |
| Consumer information | Making the repair option visible |
Alongside ESPR
ESPR's horizontal repairability score rates products comparably. Typical parameters:
- Ease of disassembly and number of tools required
- Spare part availability, price and delivery time
- Accessibility of the repair manual
- Software and update support duration
See ESPR ecodesign performance requirements and DPP for home appliances.
Repair data in the passport
Repair fields are carried in structured form:
- Parts list: part number, description, availability period, ordering link.
- Disassembly steps: sequence, tools required, warnings.
- Repair manual: document reference, version, language.
- Service history: where the passport is item-level. See choosing granularity.
The commercial return
Repair data looks like a cost line, but the reverse is also true: when the right part and the right instruction sit behind one QR, call-centre load, wrong-part shipments and warranty cost all fall. See business benefits of a DPP.
The resale connection
A repairable product with a known repair history is worth more second-hand. When a brand links that to a resale programme, the passport generates revenue directly. See DPP in resale and second-hand.
Frequently asked questions
For how many years must I supply spare parts?
It varies by product group and is set in the relevant ecodesign measure; the passport requires you to declare the period.
Must the repair manual be public?
Access is foreseen for consumers and independent repairers. Commercially sensitive detail can stay in a restricted tier. See restricted data tiers.
Is software support in scope?
Yes — update and support duration is becoming part of repairability assessment.
