Microsoft released a study they conducted about the repairability of their own devices. This is after an October 2021 agreement to make its Surface devices more repairable and fund this independent study.
- For the seven devices studied, the study showed that repairing the product instead of device replacement can yield up to a 92% reduction in potential waste generation and GHG emissions.
- Greater than 20% of the net sustainability benefits of repair are determined by the transportation method and logistics for delivering devices to repair facilities.
- “Mail-to” repair services offer the lowest GHG emissions, even over long distances, compared to other transportation methods, such as consumers driving their own vehicles to repair facilities.
Why do we care?
Looking at the benefits of right-to-repair is encouraging. That data point about mail-to repair services intrigued me. How many providers consider how using mail-to services versus rolling trucks might be more efficient and better for the environment? Or should there be more options offered to customers?