ACR+ provided feedback on the European Commission consultation to encourage consumers to use goods for a longer time and to promote repaired, second-hand and refurbished goods.

In its feedback, ACR+ highlights that legal and economic instruments are needed both on demand and supply side, such as the inclusion of repair and reuse not only in a waste policy but particularly in a product policy based on binding instruments supported by specific indexes. ACR+ supports the implementation of a high-level intervention to impose to the producers to facilitate repair. Moreover, these economic mechanisms can play a relevant role to improve the environmental performance of the products while also financing awareness raising and communication campaigns, and repair initiatives. ACR+ considers that public authorities can use their competence related to VAT and act on public procurement to support repair activities, but also sharing economy initiatives. ACR+ also supports the setting of targets to decrease the amount of residual waste and prevention targets addressing the total waste production as well as specific product categories.

Read ACR+ feedback here.