New EU-wide product repair rules come into force
- News
- Sport
- Business
- Culture
- Gaeilge
- Player
- Tv
- Radio
Weather
!Image 8: Open search!Image 9: Close search!Image 10: Profile iconLogin
- News
- Sport
- Business
- Culture
- Player
- TV
- Radio
- Gaeilge
- Weather
- Archives
- History
###### Discover Discover
- History
- Gaeilge
###### Food
- RTÉ Food
###### Watch Watch
- TV
- RTÉ One
- RTÉ2
- RTÉ News
- RTÉjr
###### Listen Listen
- Radio
- Podcasts
- RTÉ 2FM
###### Services Services
###### Kids Kids
- RTÉ Kids
###### Help Help
- Contact
- Feedback
###### Information Information
- 2rn
- Saorview
See all results
- Work
- Brexit
- Markets
- Economy
- Analysis
New EU-wide product repair rules come into force
Updated / Monday, 24 Aug 2026 19:41
[](https://www.facebook.com/sharer/sharer.php?u=https://www.rte.ie/news/business/2026/0824/1588931-repair-rules/)[](https://twitter.com/share?url=https://www.rte.ie/news/business/2026/0824/1588931-repair-rules/&text=New%20EU-wide%20product%20repair%20rules%20come%20into%20force&via=rte)[](whatsapp://send?text=New%20EU-wide%20product%20repair%20rules%20come%20into%20force%20-%20https://www.rte.ie/news/business/2026/0824/1588931-repair-rules/)[](https://www.linkedin.com/shareArticle?mini=true&url=https://www.rte.ie/news/business/2026/0824/1588931-repair-rules/&title=New%20EU-wide%20product%20repair%20rules%20come%20into%20force&summary=New%20EU%20rules%20have%20come%20into%20force%20aiming%20to%20tackle%20the%2035%20million%20tonnes%20of%20waste%20the%20premature%20disposal%20of%20consumer%20goods%20generates%20across%20the%20bloc.&source=rte.ie)[](mailto:?&subject=New%20EU%20rules%20have%20come%20into%20force%20aiming%20to%20tackle%20the%2035%20million%20tonnes%20of%20waste%20the%20premature%20disposal%20of%20consumer%20goods%20generates%20across%20the%20bloc.&body=https://www.rte.ie/news/business/2026/0824/1588931-repair-rules/)[](https://www.rte.ie/news/business/2026/0824/1588931-repair-rules/#)
!Image 16: A technician's hand holding a screwdriver at a laptop Getty
Consumers can now request that manufacturers repair products that are technically repairable under EU law
Brian O\u0027Donovan 
By **Brian O'Donovan** Work & Technology Correspondent
New EU rules have come into force designed to encourage consumers to repair rather than replace products to tackle the estimated 35 million tonnes of waste the premature disposal of consumer goods generates across the bloc.
The 'right to repair' regulations introduce new rights and supports aimed at encouraging repair over disposal, including a repair obligation for manufacturers of certain products and the establishment of a national repair platform to help consumers locate repair services.
The rules apply to household and electronic products such as washing machines, vacuum cleaners, mobile phones, and tablets.
The regulations are designed to make it easier for consumers to access repair services when products develop faults after the seller's guarantee period.
People now have the right to request that manufacturers repair products that are technically repairable under EU law.
The repairs must be done for free or at a reasonable price, within a reasonable timeframe, to encourage repairs.
We need your consent to load this rte-player content We use rte-player to manage extra content that can set cookies on your device and collect data about your activity. Please review their details and accept them to load the content.Manage Preferences;)
Manufacturers must also provide easily accessible information about repair services, as well as access to spare parts at a reasonable price.
The national repair directory, RepairMyStuff.ie, will be further developed to fulfil the role as Ireland's national repair platform.
"These regulations will make it easier for consumers to choose repair over replacement, while also creating opportunities for Irish businesses operating in the repair and refurbishment sector," said Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment Peter Burke.
"In implementing the Directive, we have sought to strike the right balance between supporting consumers, encouraging sustainable economic activity and ensuring that businesses are not faced with unnecessary regulatory burdens," he added.
We need your consent to load this rte-player content We use rte-player to manage extra content that can set cookies on your device and collect data about your activity. Please review their details and accept them to load the content.Manage Preferences;)
According to the European Commission, the new rules are expected to bring €4.8 billion in growth and investment within the EU.
"These new regulations are important in helping to meet our climate goals by realigning how we produce, consume, and value materials," said Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment Darragh O'Brien.
- * *
**Read more: New EU repair rules 'make sense', engineer says**
#### More stories on
- News
- Business
- Ireland
Most Read
- 1 
- 2 
- 3 
- 4 
- [5  ### One charging point for every 30 EVs in Ireland - CSO 28 Aug](https://www.rte.ie/news/business/2026/0828/1589569-cso-on-electric-car-chargers/)
- 6 
- 7 
- 8 
More by
Work & Technology Correspondent
Most Read
- 1 
- 2 
- 3 
- 4 
- [5  ### One charging point for every 30 EVs in Ireland - CSO 28 Aug](https://www.rte.ie/news/business/2026/0828/1589569-cso-on-electric-car-chargers/)
- 6 
- 7 
- 8 
- News
- Sport
- Business
- Culture
- Player
- TV
- Radio
- Gaeilge
- Weather
- Archives
- History
###### Discover Discover
- History
- Gaeilge
###### Food
- RTÉ Food
###### Watch Watch
- TV
- RTÉ One
- RTÉ2
- RTÉ News
- RTÉjr
###### Listen Listen
- Radio
- Podcasts
- RTÉ 2FM
###### Services Services
###### Kids Kids
- RTÉ Kids
###### Help Help
- Contact
- Feedback
###### Information Information
- 2rn
- Saorview
Follow RTÉ
- [](https://twitter.com/rte)
- [](https://www.facebook.com/ExploreRTE/)
- [](https://www.instagram.com/explorerte/)
- [](https://ie.linkedin.com/company/rte/)
- [](https://www.youtube.com/user/rte)
[](https://www.rte.ie/)
© RTÉ 2026. RTÉ.ie is the website of Raidió Teilifís Éireann, Ireland's National Public Service Media. RTÉ is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.
Images Courtesy of Getty Images.
Thank you for making your pledges!
Close
!Image 43Privacy
We Care About Your Privacy
We and our 11 partners store and/or access information on a device, such as unique IDs in cookies to process personal data. You may accept or manage your choices by clicking below, including your right to object where legitimate interest is used, or at any time in the privacy policy page. These choices will be signaled to our partners and will not affect browsing data.View our Cookie PolicyView our Privacy Policy
We and our partners process data to provide:
Use precise geolocation data. Actively scan device characteristics for identification. Store and/or access information on a device. Develop and improve services. Measure content performance. Understand audiences through statistics or combinations of data from different sources. Use limited data to select advertising. Create profiles for personalised advertising. Use profiles to select personalised advertising. Create profiles to personalise content. Use profiles to select personalised content. Measure advertising performance. List of Partners (vendors)
Show Purposes
Allow Only Necessary Allow All
About Your Privacy
We process your data to deliver content or advertisements and measure the delivery of such content or advertisements to extract insights about our website. We share this information with our partners on the basis of consent and legitimate interest. You may exercise your right to consent or object to a legitimate interest, based on a specific purpose below or at a partner level in the link under each purpose. These choices will be signaled to our vendors participating in the Transparency and Consent Framework.
Allow All
Manage Consent Preferences
#### Strictly Necessary Cookies
Always Active
Strictly necessary cookies are essential in order to enable you to move around the site, use its features and/or services. Any cookies used in this way are first party only in nature and the data that is collected is fully aggregated. Without these cookies, the Site will not perform as smoothly for you as we would like it to and we may not be able to provide the Site or certain services or features.
Cookies Details
#### Performance Cookies
- [x] Performance Cookies
Performance cookies collect information about how visitors use a Site, for instance which pages visitors go to most often, and if they get error messages from web pages. These cookies don’t collect information that identifies a visitor. All information these cookies collect is aggregated. Performance Cookies are only used to improve how a Site works.
Cookies Details
#### Functional Cookies
- [x] Functional Cookies
Functional cookies allow this Site to remember choices you make and any customisations you make to Site pages during your visit and provide enhanced, more personal features. For instance, these cookies can be used to remember changes you have made to text size, fonts and other parts of web pages that you can customise. They may also be used to provide services you have asked for such as contacting the Saorview helpline, watching a video or entering an online competition. These cookies cannot track your browsing activity on other Sites. More information about such cookies can be found in the relevant third party website.
Cookies Details
#### Targeting Cookies and Third-Party Embeds
- [x] Targeting Cookies and Third-Party Embeds
This category of cookies is used for embedded social media content and may be set by our social partners. They do not store directly personal information, but are based on uniquely identifying your browser and internet device. If you do not allow these cookies, you may not be able to view or engage with embedded social media content.
Cookies Details
#### Store and/or access information on a device 9 partners can use this purpose
- [x] Store and/or access information on a device
Cookies, device or similar online identifiers (e.g. login-based identifiers, randomly assigned identifiers, network based identifiers) together with other information (e.g. browser type and information, language, screen size, supported technologies etc.) can be stored or read on your device to recognise it each time it connects to an app or to a website, for one or several of the purposes presented here.
List of IAB Vendors|View Illustrations
#### Develop and improve services 10 partners can use this purpose
- [x] Develop and improve services
Information about your activity on this service, such as your interaction with ads or content, can be very helpful to improve products and services and to build new products and services based on user interactions, the type of audience, etc. This specific purpose does not include the development or improvement of user profiles and identifiers.
Object to Legitimate Interests Remove Objection
List of IAB Vendors|View Illustrations
#### Measure content performance 2 partners can use this purpose
- [x] Measure content performance
Information regarding which content is presented to you and how you interact with it can be used to determine whether the (non-advertising) content e.g. reached its intended audience and matched your interests. For instance, whether you read an article, watch a video, listen to a podcast or look at a product description, how long you spent on this service and the web pages you visit etc. This is very helpful to understand the relevance of (non-advertising) content that is shown to you.
Object to Legitimate Interests Remove Objection
List of IAB Vendors|View Illustrations
#### Understand audiences through statistics or combinations of data from different sources 4 partners can use this purpose
- [x] Understand audiences through statistics or combinations of data from different sources
Reports can be generated based on the combination of data sets (like user profiles, statistics, market research, analytics data) regarding your interactions and those of other users with advertising or (non-advertising) content to identify common characteristics (for instance, to determine which target audiences are more receptive to an ad campaign or to certain contents).
Object to Legitimate Interests Remove Objection
List of IAB Vendors|View Illustrations
#### Use limited data to select advertising 8 partners can use this purpose
- [x] Use limited data to select advertising
Advertising presented to you on this service can be based on limited data, such as the website or app you are using, your non-precise location, your device type or which content you are (or have been) interacting with (for example, to limit the number of times an ad is presented to you).
Object to Legitimate Interests Remove Objection
List of IAB Vendors|View Illustrations
#### Create profiles for personalised advertising 8 partners can use this purpose
- [x] Create profiles for personalised advertising
Information about your activity on this service (such as forms you submit, content you look at) can be stored and combined with other information about you (for example, information from your previous activity on this service and other websites or apps) or similar users. This is then used to build or improve a profile about you (that might include possible interests and personal aspects). Your profile can be used (also later) to present advertising that appears more relevant based on your possible interests by this and other entities.
List of IAB Vendors|View Illustrations
#### Use profiles to select personalised advertising 7 partners can use this purpose
- [x] Use profiles to select personalised advertising
Advertising presented to you on this service can be based on your advertising profiles, which can reflect your activity on this service or other websites or apps (like the forms you submit, content you look at), possible interests and personal aspects.
List of IAB Vendors|View Illustrations
#### Create profiles to personalise content 0 partners can use this purpose
- [x] Create profiles to personalise content
Information about your activity on this service (for instance, forms you submit, non-advertising content you look at) can be stored and combined with other information about you (such as your previous activity on this service or other websites or apps) or similar users. This is then used to build or improve a profile about you (which might for example include possible interests and personal aspects). Your profile can be used (also later) to present content that appears more relevant based on your possible interests, such as by adapting the order in which content is shown to you, so that it is even easier for you to find content that matches your interests.
List of IAB Vendors|View Illustrations
#### Use profiles to select personalised content 0 partners can use this purpose
- [x] Use profiles to select personalised content
Content presented to you on this service can be based on your content personalisation profiles, which can reflect your activity on this or other services (for instance, the forms you submit, content you look at), possible interests and personal aspects. This can for example be used to adapt the order in which content is shown to you, so that it is even easier for you to find (non-advertising) content that matches your interests.
List of IAB Vendors|View Illustrations
#### Measure advertising performance 10 partners can use this purpose
- [x] Measure advertising performance
Information regarding which advertising is presented to you and how you interact with it can be used to determine how well an advert has worked for you or other users and whether the goals of the advertising were reached. For instance, whether you saw an ad, whether you clicked on it, whether it led you to buy a product or visit a website, etc. This is very helpful to understand the relevance of advertising campaigns.
Object to Legitimate Interests Remove Objection
List of IAB Vendors|View Illustrations
#### Use precise geolocation data 1 partners can use this special feature
- [x] Use precise geolocation data
With your acceptance, your precise location (within a radius of less than 500 metres) may be used in support of the purposes explained in this notice.
List of IAB Vendors
#### Ensure security, prevent and detect fraud, and fix errors 10 partners can use this special purpose
Always Active
Your data can be used to monitor for and prevent unusual and possibly fraudulent activity (for example, regarding advertising, ad clicks by bots), and ensure systems and processes work properly and securely. It can also be used to correct any problems you, the publisher or the advertiser may encounter in the delivery of content and ads and in your interaction with them.
List of IAB Vendors|View Illustrations
#### Deliver and present advertising and content 9 partners can use this special purpose
Always Active
Certain information (like an IP address or device capabilities) is used to ensure the technical compatibility of the content or advertising, and to facilitate the transmission of the content or ad to your device.
List of IAB Vendors|View Illustrations
#### Match and combine data from other data sources 8 partners can use this feature
Always Active
Information about your activity on this service may be matched and combined with other information relating to you and originating from various sources (for instance your activity on a separate online service, your use of a loyalty card in-store, or your answers to a survey), in support of the purposes explained in this notice.
List of IAB Vendors
#### Link different devices 8 partners can use this feature
Always Active
In support of the purposes explained in this notice, your device might be considered as likely linked to other devices that belong to you or your household (for instance because you are logged in to the same service on both your phone and your computer, or because you may use the same Internet connection on both devices).
List of IAB Vendors
#### Identify devices based on information transmitted automatically 10 partners can use this feature
Always Active
Your device might be distinguished from other devices based on information it automatically sends when accessing the Internet (for instance, the IP address of your Internet connection or the type of browser you are using) in support of the purposes exposed in this notice.
List of IAB Vendors
#### Save and communicate privacy choices 10 partners can use this special purpose
Always Active
The choices you make regarding the purposes and entities listed in this notice are saved and made available to those entities in the form of digital signals (such as a string of characters). This is necessary in order to enable both this service and those entities to respect such choices.
List of IAB Vendors|View Illustrations
Cookie List
Clear
- - [x] checkbox label label
Apply Cancel
Consent Leg.Interest
- [x] checkbox label label
- [x] checkbox label label
- [x] checkbox label label
Allow Only Necessary Confirm My Choices
