EU Right to Repair Directive: What Changes for SMEs Selling or Sourcing Hardware

EU Directive 2024/1799 moves repair from a voluntary design consideration to a legal obligation. For SMEs that sell, procure, or manage hardware — phones, tablets, displays, servers, appliances — this is a compliance shift worth understanding before national implementations begin in mid-2026.

What the Directive Actually Requires

Manufacturers must make repairs available at reasonable cost and within a reasonable timeframe, supply spare parts and repair information at reasonable prices, and sustain this for a defined period after a product is placed on the market. Where no EU-based manufacturer exists, the obligation falls to the EU representative or importer.

On the consumer side, the rules change the warranty calculus directly: if a customer opts for repair rather than replacement under their legal guarantee, that guarantee is extended by a minimum of 12 months. This creates a structural incentive for repair — and a corresponding obligation on sellers to communicate that option clearly.

A EU-level repair information platform is also planned, intended to help consumers find repairers, compare quotes using standardised forms, and access refurbished goods listings. The practical utility of this platform will depend on how it is implemented across Member States.

The Repairability Score

Alongside the Directive, a repairability scoring system — rated A to E — is being introduced for relevant product categories. The score is derived from six factors: disassembly depth, fastener type, tools required, spare part availability, software update availability, and access to repair information. This label is intended to sit alongside energy efficiency ratings as a standard product characteristic, not a marketing differentiator.

For procurement teams, this creates a new and concrete variable when evaluating hardware. A lower repairability score is a reasonable proxy for higher total cost of ownership over a device's working life.

Operational Consequences Worth Planning For

SMEs operating in the EU — whether as resellers, importers, or simply large buyers of commercial hardware — should expect these changes to surface in supplier contracts, warranty terms, and product documentation requirements from 2026 onward. The Ecodesign framework that underpins this Directive has already reshaped energy labelling; the repair obligations follow the same logic and are likely to be enforced with similar seriousness.

The practical preparation is straightforward: review which product categories you sell or manage, understand where your supply chain sits relative to the manufacturer-importer-seller chain, and begin mapping how warranty and repair workflows will need to be updated before national laws take effect.