Right-to-Repair is a Win-Win for Consumers and Brands
Global brands selling high-value, complex products (like cars, electronics, and machinery) have increasingly discouraged customer repairs.
This shift is driven by two main factors
- Basic Products– Cheap imports and transportation costs have made repairing basic goods uneconomical.
- Complex Products– The precise tolerances, proprietary components, and integrated software in modern products create significant hurdles, raising concerns over warranty, product liability, and intellectual property.
In response, a fast-growing Right-to-Repair (R2R) movement has emerged since 2014. Driven by consumer desire for cost savings and product sustainability, R2R advocates demand the same access to tools, training, and information for repairs that Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) possess.
Legislators are responding and twenty US states have already passed R2R laws, with similar legislation pending in twenty more.
The takeaway for businesses is that ignoring this rising consumer demand, potential negative customer sentiment, and rapidly evolving compliance landscape would be shortsighted. Leading companies must proactively prepare for change, adopt R2R principles early, and position themselves as market leaders rather than being forced to catch up later.
Weighing R2R Investment Against Future Value
The transition to a leading Resource-to-Resource (R2R) strategy presents manufacturers with an important decision- How should the potential long-term gains of R2R be weighed against the significant investment risk involved in facilities, inventory, staffing, and technology, especially when facing an uncertain demand environment?
The answer lies in the evolving consumer landscape, which is increasingly prioritizing sustainability as a core component of product value. This shift is particularly pronounced among younger generations and is accelerating due to broader economic uncertainties.
- Gen Z’s Influence- By 2030, Gen Z consumers (born 1995 and later) are expected to be major drivers of the post-pandemic digital economy across key Western markets (Western Europe, the UK, Australia, and the US). This generation, an 87-million strong workforce, is projected to see a seven-fold increase in income over 2019, supporting $3 trillion in spending (Oxford Economics).
- Studies highlight Gen Z’s commitment to sustainability- 75% prioritize sustainability over brand name in their purchasing decisions and 90% are willing to pay 10% extra or more for sustainable products (a massive increase from 34% in 2019) (First Insight/University of Pennsylvania).
- Wider Generational Impact- This influence extends beyond Gen Z. In the same study, 67% of Gen X parents stated they prefer to buy from sustainable companies, up significantly from 25% just two years prior.
This generational shift is fundamentally redefining “design to value.” The focus is moving away from a simple emphasis on lower cost as the main driver of growth. Instead, value is increasingly being added through factors like enhanced functionality, ease of use, and extended product life.
R2R offers a measurable and understandable alternative to the current “disposable society” model, which purely focuses on cost and results in vast landfills of discarded goods. Manufacturers align their strategies with the future market’s value proposition by embracing R2R.
Making Right-to-Repair (R2R) Work
While Right-to-Repair (R2R) initiatives vary significantly across products and industries, their successful implementation relies on shared core principles and best practices.
Electronics
Leading electronics companies are actively supporting R2R by providing necessary resources to both third-party technicians and consumers. Apple supplies parts and training to authorized repair shops. Its online Self-Service Repair Store offers customers over 200 different parts and tools for common repairs (display, battery, camera) on select iPhone models. Google, Samsung, and Microsoft offer similar services for devices like Pixel phones, S model phones, and Surface laptops, often through the third-party DIY repair platform, iFixit.
Apparel
Apparel brands are using repair and refurbishment to boost customer loyalty and engagement, creating dedicated channels for these programs. Urban Outfitters (Urban Renewal) and The North Face (Renewed) utilize distinct outlet channels for repaired/refurbished items. Programs like Levi’s Off the Cuff and Patagonia’s Worn Wear go further, encouraging customers and designers not only to repair and customize clothing but also to reimagine and repurpose materials and products in novel ways.
Residual Benefits of R2R
Businesses realize a number of advantages from Reclaim-to-Reintroduce (R2R) strategies, which are tailored to their specific objectives, customer profiles, and product characteristics.
While core benefits include enhanced customer loyalty, simplified regulatory compliance, and the creation of new revenue streams, R2R offers significant residual opportunities-
- Raw Material Reclamation- R2R presents a substantial chance to reclaim and reintroduce raw materials that are in short supply directly back into the supply chain.
- Design & Market Insights- Closely observing customers’ after-sale interactions with products provides invaluable data. This can generate important insights for further design improvements, identifying emerging fashion trends, and developing new product lines.
Strategic Differentiation
More broadly, R2R represents a longer-term strategic opportunity for companies to decisively differentiate themselves from competitors in a crowded market.
Businesses can effectively establish themselves as market leaders and, over time, cultivate the status of a preferred brand by proactively engaging and reaching out to new, socially conscious audience segments.
Reimagine Your Business with Your Product Passport
Your Product Passport (YPP) offers a powerful shift and businesses are no longer viewing sustainability and repairability as obligations, but as opportunities to build deeper customer loyalty, unlock long-term value, and future-proof their product strategies.
A successful repair-to-reuse (R2R) ecosystem begins long before a product reaches the customer. It starts at the design table, where every decision can either enable or restrict transparency, traceability, and repairability.
Just as design philosophies vary by product category, YPP empowers manufacturers with the digital backbone to bring these philosophies to life.
For “design for repair” models, brands can use YPP to map common repair issues, document part-level data, showcase simplified assemblies, and ensure customers or technicians have easy access to the information they need, whether it’s tools, parts, or step-by-step repair guidance.
As organizations evolve on the R2R maturity curve, YPP helps make the transformation smoother. Whether you’re enabling authorized third-party repairs, offering supervised self-service options, or moving toward fully independent repair access, YPP ensures compliance, traceability, and a consistent repair experience at every step.
With deep capabilities across product lifecycle management, sustainability compliance, IoT connectivity, user experience, consumer insights, engineering documentation, and digital transparency, Your Product Passport becomes the nerve center of modern product strategy, supporting businesses at any phase of their product lifecycle and helping them leap ahead in a circular economy.
References
https://reclaimit.com/blog/the-right-to-repair
https://towardzerowaste.org/2024/01/22/the-right-to-repair/
https://www.kearney.com/industry/consumer-retail/article/right-to-repair-can-be-a-winning-strategy
