Self Service Repair - How Apple May Help with E-waste

Imagine breaking one piece of an electronic device, for example a battery, and having to buy a completely new one just because you just couldn't replace one item. This happens with anything from phones to cars, and we sadly can't do much about it. Not only is it an inconvenience for the consumer, it also increases e-waste by getting rid of perfectly good electronics. Since products are getting progressively harder to repair, Right to Repair movements have been pushing for repair tools.

Now, what is the "Right to Repair"? In a couple words, it is the general right for a customer to be able to repair their own electronics/products that they have purchased and rightfully owned. Though this applies to all products, and you can technically fix them, companies try their best to make it as hard as possible to fix their products. Therefore they make you buy a brand new version of the products that broke. 

One of the companies that did this was Apple, an incredibly successful electronics company. They have very rare materials/parts that are very specific to, for example, iPhones, so that it would be very hard for customers to fix their iPhone alone.Though this is horrible, especially for the e-waste crisis, it appears that Apple may be changing their ways. Just a couple weeks ago Apple released a “Self Service Repair program” that will help customers perform their own repairs from the comfort of their own homes. Next year, they will start selling pieces and repair tools for the iPhone 12 and iPhone 13 in the United States, and then expand to more countries over 2022. This will enable customers to fix their products without having to waste a (almost) completely functional item. Since Apple is such a huge company, this could be a big help with e-waste because there would be a lot less wasting of good electronics. 

Though Apple still recommends visiting a professional Apple repair shop (which is super expensive), this new Self Service Repair program might just help with the prevention of e-waste, and give customers a bit less reliant on the brand.

Learn more:
https://www.repair.org/stand-up
https://www.theverge.com/2021/11/19/22787245/apple-iphone-mac-self-service-program-repair-diy
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Written by Amelia Halverson, Ontario, Canada