Long-lasting, repairable and reusable products?

Reducing environmental impact is a mindset. European laws are now forcing some decision on manufacturers. But I would rather have manufacturers develop this mindset and apply it religiously.

Photo by Eirik Solheim on Unsplash

Recently, we had a tap leak. I opened the tap to find this mixer cartridge. Now, this is a perfectly working mixer cartridge. However, the cartridge has a uniquely shaped washer, as shown at the bottom of the second picture. But I cannot buy just the washer, I have to buy the entire cartridge. This one decision has led to me discarding a perfectly working cartridge.

This situation is more pronounced in electronics. A layperson cannot repair any of the electronics these days. You need specialised equipment (heat guns?), some skills, and the ability to sift through tons of YouTube videos.

But change is coming.

European laws are forcing manufacturers to think about the environmental impact. They will now force phone manufacturers to have replaceable batteries in phones. Please watch the video below.

Can India take the lead?

It is time India created products that are reusable, repairable and long-lasting. This could be our thing. Japan’s thing was miniaturisation, China’s thing was cheap, Germany’s thing was efficiency, the French thing was style, India’s thing could be long-lasting, repairable and reusable. It fits with our culture too.

What do you think?

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