RIGHT TO REPAIR

Antonio Mangiola
Oct 6, 2021

Repairability is the light for a sustainable future. Any broken object must have a chance to be repaired.

With the entry into force of the new eco-design legislation, the issue related to the repairability of everyday objects becomes even more central, not only in the production chain, but already in the design phase of any item. For those born before the 90s, repair centers were a usual place to bring broken products while, in the last twenty years, a production blind to the damage caused to the environment, has led us to a frantic consumption of articles with a compulsive “Disposable” no longer sustainable from our planet. WayPoint has been pursuing the path of the circular economy for several years, following the guidelines of the Ellen McArthur Foundation, and the Light For Future project, conceived by Alberto Baesso. In the company we are not only concerned with building products that combine artisan traditions, design and Made in Italy, but we constantly pay great attention to the development and research, aimed at increasing the efficiency of the item and extending its life cycle. An ethical philosophy born in unsuspecting times, not linked to communication or marketing strategies. Our lighting products, in fact, have been able to be repaired, reconditioned, regenerated and recycled for some time, in line, as already mentioned, with the ecodesign legislation that came into force in September 2021 and with the 4R Philosophy.

80% of all the components of the lighting items produced by our company are (already) replaceable or repairable, allowing the end user to replace the damaged piece in complete autonomy or by going to the nearest repair center. While continuing to work and experiment on the road that will lead us to increase the repairability percentage of our products, we are also about to start the "Tunable White" program and we are working for a digitization of the product that allows us to have all the information directly on every lighting fixture, eliminating the consumption of paper, now used in the instruction booklets. Quoting Elon Musk, "every product that needs a manual to work is broken." Our lighting items are never broken, at most they can be momentarily broken or damaged… momentarily.

Our company, fully embracing the campaign for the right to repair and the fight against premature obsolescence of electrical and electronic products, hopes that European and national regulations will be increasingly stringent towards producers, also with the inclusion of a Register of Repairers, which finally makes universal the right of all, without discrimination, to have access to spare parts and manuals. In the meantime, there is something that each of us can do to change this exasperated production paradigm. Before buying an item, of any kind, find out about the level of repairability. A conscious purchase will protect you from unpleasant surprises in case of breakdown and / or damage and will allow you to buy only ethical, durable and environmentally sustainable items. Any broken object must have a chance to be repaired.

Antonio Mangiola