Summary

From 2025 onward, the Repairability Index will be mandatory for products like smartphones, laptops, and tablets sold in Germany. It scores how easy a device is to repair, providing transparency for consumers and a strong incentive for manufacturers to design products that last. As regulation tightens, companies that act early stand to gain: not just by staying compliant, but by tapping into a growing demand for durable, serviceable products.
Close-up of a partially disassembled smartphone with visible battery and internal components, lying on a wooden surface next to a precision screwdriver and a blue plastic opening tool.

What Is the Repairability Index?

The Repairability Index (RI) is a legally required score that rates how easily a product can be repaired. It’s part of a broader push to reduce waste, extend product lifespans, and empower consumers with meaningful, comparable information at the point of purchase.

At launch, the index will apply to core electronics like laptops, smartphones, and tablets — with more product categories expected to follow. It’s a powerful signal of where the market is headed: away from throwaway tech, and toward circular, repairable design.

Timeline and Legal Basis

The push for repairability comes from both consumers and policymakers. Between 2023 and 2024, Germany translated EU-wide sustainability goals into national law, anchoring the Repairability Index within the Ecodesign Directive framework. It’s also closely linked to the Digital Product Passport initiative.

Starting in 2025, all relevant products sold in Germany must display a repairability label, with manufacturers and retailers held accountable for its accuracy and visibility.

How Is Repairability Scored?

Behind each Repairability Index score is a detailed assessment of:

  • How easily the product can be disassembled
  • Whether spare parts are available — and at what price
  • If repair instructions are publicly accessible
  • Whether software support is guaranteed for a minimum period

Priority is given to components that typically fail first: the battery, screen, casing, and motherboard. Based on these factors, each device receives a score from A (very good) to E (poor). These scores are converted into consumer-friendly labels and must be displayed both in-store and online, often via QR code linking to the EU’s EPREL database.

What Do Manufacturers Need to Do?

Compliance starts with reliable self-assessment. Manufacturers must evaluate and document each product’s repairability according to the official criteria. From there, they need to:

  • Embed repairability into product design — modularity, standard screws, accessible components
  • Publish repair documentation
  • Ensure spare parts are available for a defined period
  • Label every eligible product with its Repairability Index grade

This isn’t just an administrative task. It requires collaboration across design, engineering, logistics, and legal teams — and represents a strategic shift toward long-term value creation.

Top view of an Arduino Uno microcontroller board surrounded by electronic components, including resistors, LEDs, jumper wires, switches, and a breadboard, arranged on a bright blue background.

What Does the Index Mean for Retailers and Consumers?

Retailers are now responsible for making repairability visible and accessible. Whether online or in-store, consumers must be able to see and compare repairability grades at a glance.

For consumers, this means more transparency and better decision-making. Instead of guessing how long a product might last or how much a repair would cost, they’ll have clear, comparable information. This transparency also builds trust — especially for brands that proactively communicate their repairability scores and the thinking behind them.

How Is Germany Leading the Way in Circular Electronics?

With this move, Germany is setting a new standard for sustainable electronics. The Repairability Index is more than a label — it’s a catalyst. It encourages a culture of repair, discourages planned obsolescence, and signals to the market that circular design is not optional, but essential.

Brands that embrace this shift will be better positioned not only in Germany, but across the EU — especially as Digital Product Passports and other circular economy regulations take hold.

What Should Brands and Retailers Do Next?

The most forward-thinking companies aren’t just checking boxes — they’re turning repairability into a competitive advantage. Here's how:

  1. Start with a compliance audit to assess your product portfolio against the Repairability Index.
  2. Adapt your design processes to prioritize modularity and repairability.
  3. Communicate proactively — use the Repairability Index to show your commitment to quality, service, and sustainability.
  4. Partner with platforms like koorvi to build integrated resale, repair, and take-back programs that align with the regulation — and turn it into new revenue.

Germany’s Repairability Index is here. The question isn’t whether to respond — it’s how fast you’ll turn this obligation into opportunity.

FAQs

What is Germany’s Repairability Index and which products does it cover?

Germany’s Repairability Index is a legally required score rating how easily a product can be repaired, ranging from A (very good) to E (poor). Launched in 2025 as part of the Ecodesign Directive framework and linked to the Digital Product Passport initiative, the index initially applies to core electronics including laptops, smartphones, and tablets, with more product categories expected to follow. All relevant products sold in Germany must display a repairability label both in-store and online, often via QR code linking to the EU’s EPREL database, providing consumers with transparent, comparable information at the point of purchase to reduce waste and extend product lifespans.

How is the Repairability Index score calculated and what criteria are assessed?

The Repairability Index evaluates products through detailed assessment of ease of disassembly including accessibility and tool requirements, spare parts availability and pricing transparency, public accessibility of repair instructions and documentation, and guaranteed minimum periods of software support. Priority is given to components that typically fail first such as batteries, screens, casings, and motherboards. Based on these factors, each device receives a comprehensive score converted into the A-to-E consumer-friendly label, enabling shoppers to compare repairability across brands and models objectively before making purchase decisions.

What obligations do manufacturers face under Germany’s Repairability Index regulations?

Manufacturers must conduct reliable self-assessment evaluating each product’s repairability according to official criteria and documenting results comprehensively. Beyond assessment, they must embed repairability into product design through modularity, standard screws, and accessible components, publish complete repair documentation publicly, ensure spare parts remain available for defined periods after product discontinuation, and label every eligible product with its accurate Repairability Index grade. This requires strategic collaboration across design, engineering, logistics, and legal teams, representing a fundamental shift from short-term sales focus toward long-term value creation through product longevity and serviceability.

How does the Repairability Index benefit consumers and retailers?

For consumers, the index provides unprecedented transparency enabling better decision-making through clear, comparable repairability information replacing guesswork about product longevity and repair costs. This builds trust, especially when brands proactively communicate their scores and design philosophy. Retailers gain responsibility for making repairability visible and accessible both online and in-store, but also benefit from differentiation opportunities by highlighting high-scoring products, building customer loyalty through transparency, and aligning with growing consumer demand for sustainable electronics. The index transforms sustainability from abstract concept into tangible purchasing criterion, benefiting both informed consumers and responsible retailers.

How can brands turn the Repairability Index from compliance obligation into competitive advantage?

Forward-thinking companies are transforming mandatory repairability scoring into strategic differentiation. Key steps include conducting compliance audits to assess product portfolios against Repairability Index criteria, adapting design processes to prioritize modularity and ease of repair from the development phase, communicating proactively by using repairability scores to demonstrate commitment to quality, service, and sustainability, and integrating circular business models that extend beyond compliance. Brands can partner with specialized platforms to build comprehensive repair, resale, and take-back programs that align with regulations while generating new revenue streams. Companies ready to lead can explore their circular readiness and implementation strategies at koorvi.com.