India's Move Towards Repairable Electronics

In May 2025, the Indian government initiated a series of reforms aimed at promoting sustainable electronics, highlighted by the adoption of a Repairability Index for mobile phones and household appliances. This index ranks products according to their repair ease, availability of spare parts, and software support. To enhance the disposal of electronic waste (e-waste), new regulations mandate minimum payments to incentivize formal recycling practices.

Key Developments:

• Repairability Index: A performance measure for assessing how easily mobile devices and appliances can be repaired.
• E-Waste Management: India generated over 1.6 million tonnes of e-waste in 2021-22, making it the world's third-largest producer.
• E-Waste (Management) Rules, 2022: Introduced Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) mandating manufacturers to manage post-use product disposal.
• Right to Repair Framework: Launched by the Department of Consumer Affairs in 2022 and extended with a portal in 2023 for electronics, automobiles, and agricultural equipment.

Cultural Context:

Despite advancements in formal repair frameworks, much of India’s repair knowledge, which is largely informal and based on hands-on experience, remains unrecognized in both policy and academic discourse. Traditional repair methods are passed down through mentorship and community practices rather than formal education, thereby undermining the importance of this knowledge in economic and sustainability dialogues.

• Tacit Knowledge: Represents skills and intuitions that are difficult to formalize, critical for the repair economy, and often passed informally.
• Community Impact: Informal repair workers frequently adapt to constraints, keeping devices operational beyond their intended lifespan.

Global Initiatives:

Internationally, the Right to Repair movement has gained traction, especially within the European Union, which has mandated access to spare parts and repair documentation. The United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 12 also advocates for responsible consumption and repair practices.

Challenges:

With the increasing consumer trend towards disposability and trends in product design making repairs more challenging, informal repair communities are at risk of dwindling economic viability and social recognition. The current policy frameworks, such as Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana (PMKVY) and the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, focus inadequately on vocational training that aligns with the demand for practical repair skills.

Recommendations for Policy Reform:

For India to effectively embed sustainability into its technological framework, the following actions are recommended:

• Embedding Repairability in Design: Future electronics should incorporate repairability as a fundamental design criterion.
• Institutional Collaboration: The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology should integrate repairability into AI and procurement policies while recognizing informal repairers through schemes such as e-Shram.
• Skill Development: Training programs that focus on diagnostic repair skills that deviate from traditional industrial models should be promoted.
• Research on 'Unmaking': Encourage practices of disassembly, repairing, and repurposing as core components of product life management.

Conclusion:

As India embraces a digital future alongside AI development and sustainability initiatives, the recognition and preservation of informal repair knowledge are essential. By valuing the embodied labor of repair experts and integrating their experiences into formal policy frameworks, India can cultivate a holistic approach to sustainability and repair, thereby strengthening its economic and technological resilience.

Important Sentences:

• In May 2025, India introduced a Repairability Index to promote sustainable electronics.
• India became the third-largest producer of e-waste globally, generating over 1.6 million tonnes in 2021-22.
• The Right to Repair framework was launched in India in 2022 to encourage product longevity and responsible consumption.
• Many repair skills in India are passed down informally, creating a treasure trove of tacit knowledge that remains undervalued in policy frameworks.
• The current E-Waste Management rules do not adequately incorporate repair as a preventative strategy against e-waste generation.
• Policymakers should aim to embed repairability in the design and production process to foster a more sustainable economy.