Corporate Commitments to “Circularity” Fall Short

Every week, we get a roundup of recent developments in Right to Repair news, courtesy of Jack Monahan from Fight to Repair, a reader-supported publication. Sign up to receive updates in your inbox. (It’s free!) Or become a premium subscriber for access to exclusive content and live events!

Despite large numbers of corporate commitments and regulatory targets around phasing out plastics, a new report (PDF) says that the “circular economy” has made little progress over the past decade to make plastic reduction targets a reality. Global consumption of materials continues to grow, despite overtures to “circularity,” with e-waste being an additional source of concern.

While some solutions listed include “aligned value chains” and partnerships, the authors of the report emphasize the need for governmental action—including the need for the successful negotiation and introduction of the United Nations Plastic Treaty, which aims to end plastic pollution but has been a fraught process to get international buy-in. That said, in November 2024, governments will come together in Busan, Republic of Korea, for the fifth and last round of negotiations for a global treaty to end plastic pollution, aiming to begin making progress on cutting global plastics consumption.

Additionally, the Biden Administration recently released a government-wide strategy to target plastic production by coordinating with “state, local, Tribal, and Territorial governments, local communities, the private sector, and other stakeholders to address the scale and breadth of the plastic pollution challenge.” Included in this plan is the development of standards to promote recyclability and reuse, yet repair is seldom mentioned.

Governments are brushing over repair in these conversationslikely due to the fact that packaging and food production are the chief producers of plastic waste, but that doesn’t mean repair shouldn’t be part of the larger conversation. But plastics make up roughly 20% of the 50 million tonnes of e-waste produced each year, which projections show doubling to 110m tonnes by 2050. As part of making electronic goods less plastic-intensive, solutions such as designing phones for recyclability and using recycled plastic when manufacturing phones would cut down on the impact electronics have on plastics more broadly. Much like right-to-repair, in the end solving plastic pollution will need strong government actions, global cooperation, and changes in how we make and use products.

More News

• E-waste sorters exposed to dangerous chemicals: A new study researching the levels of harmful chemicals called organophosphate flame retardants in the air of e-waste recycling workshops in China, showed how workers could be exposed to these chemicals by breathing the contaminated air. The research points to the direct human impacts of e-waste—before it is fully processed where it can then have even more negative environmental and health impacts.
• How you can use your right to repair in California: Simply having a right to repair doesn’t always mean much if you don’t exercise it. That’s why U.S. PIRG has outlined steps consumers can take to address companies not complying with California’s Right to Repair Law, which took effect on July 1st. If you live in California, you can file a complaint with your state’s attorney general, who is responsible for enforcing the law. Additionally, you can file a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), which, while not resolving individual cases, can investigate and take action against non-compliant manufacturers based on the information provided. You can find all the details needed to document and file a claim in PIRG’s full guide. And if you have a story about a company not complying with a right to repair law, let us know about it!
• Canada explores right-to-repair: National attempts in Canada to create a right-to-repair policy mark a significant step forward for the country, but recent amendments have introduced confusion, particularly around digital locks and copyright restrictions. The amended Bill C-244, currently before the Senate, would be watered down version compared to the original, affecting independent repair businesses. Secondary repair markets are essential for ensuring consumers have choice when it comes to repairs, and these around digital locks could have large consequences on the bill’s potential impact on increasing consumer access to secondary markets.