Reclaiming Jugaad, How India’s Right to Repair Movement Can Combat E-Waste and Empower Consumers

Reclaiming Jugaad, How India’s Right to Repair Movement Can Combat E-Waste and Empower Consumers

For generations, the Indian ethos has been defined by a unique form of resourcefulness—’jugaad.’ It is the spirit of finding ingenious, frugal solutions to everyday problems. This culture manifested in a thriving repair economy: the neighborhood cobbler giving a beloved pair of shoes a new lease on life, the local radio repairman coaxing sound from a silent box, and the tailor masterfully mending garments. This wasn’t just about saving money; it was a philosophy of minimalism, sustainability, and respect for resources long before these terms became global buzzwords. Today, however, this deeply ingrained culture is under siege. The tidal wave of fast consumerism, planned obsolescence, and a burgeoning “use-and-throw” mentality, particularly in the electronics sector, is rapidly eroding this heritage. In its wake, it is fuelling an environmental crisis of monumental proportions: India’s electronic waste (e-waste) mountain. The urgent need to counter this trend has given rise to a powerful, global, and now distinctly Indian movement—the Right to Repair (R2R). This is not merely a consumer rights issue; it is a critical national imperative for environmental sustainability, economic empowerment, and technological self-reliance.

The Looming E-Waste Catastrophe: A Statistical Wake-Up Call

The numbers are stark and speak to a problem escalating at an alarming rate. India’s e-waste generation surged from 1.01 million metric tonnes (MT) in 2019-20 to a staggering 1.75 million MT in 2023-24. To put this in perspective, this is a growth of over 70% in just four years. Even more concerning is that less than half of this colossal waste is processed through formal, environmentally sound channels. The remainder ends up in landfills or is processed by the informal sector, where crude methods like acid baths and open burning are used to extract precious metals. These processes release a cocktail of toxic substances—lead, mercury, cadmium, and dioxins—into the soil, water, and air, posing severe health risks to workers and nearby communities.

This is not a problem confined to India’s borders. It is a global crisis, and the response has been a growing international consensus on the need for a circular economy. From the non-profit Sustainable Electronics Recycling International (SERI), which certifies organizations for sustainable e-waste management, to community-driven “repair cafés” in Europe and North America where people gather to fix items collectively, the movement is gaining momentum. The most significant regulatory responses have been the Right to Repair laws adopted by the European Union, France, and a growing number of U.S. states like New York, California, and Colorado. These laws are fundamentally designed to empower consumers, giving them the freedom to choose where and how their products are repaired by ensuring access to affordable spare parts, tools, and repair information.

The Indian Repair Conundrum: Authorised Hurdles and the Informal Lifeline

The case for R2R in India is overwhelmingly strong, driven by a stark disparity between device ownership and repair accessibility. India is a nation of over 1.2 billion mobile phone users. Contrast this with the paltry number of authorised service centres—approximately 12,000 across the entire country. This math simply doesn’t add up, creating a massive service gap.

The authorised service centres, while often thorough, present a trifecta of problems for the average consumer:

1. Prohibitive Cost: The article highlights a telling example: a ₹30,000 smartphone can cost ₹10,000 to repair at an authorised centre. For a vast majority of Indians, this effectively makes repair a non-option, forcing them towards replacement.

2. Slow Turnaround: The bureaucratic and often centralized nature of authorised repairs leads to long waiting times, leaving consumers without essential devices for days or even weeks.

3. Geographical Inaccessibility: With only 12,000 centres for a population of 1.4 billion, many consumers in semi-urban and rural areas have no physical access to authorised services.

This void is filled by India’s vast and agile informal repair sector—the small shops in bustling markets that offer quicker, more affordable fixes. These technicians are the modern inheritors of the ‘jugaad’ spirit. However, they operate with significant handicaps. They are hamstrung by limited access to genuine spare parts, proprietary tools, and official repair manuals. This often forces them to rely on salvaged or counterfeit components, which can lead to performance, safety, and data privacy issues. The very sector that sustains device longevity is operating at a severe disadvantage, not due to a lack of skill, but due to a lack of a fair playing field.

The Government’s Push: The Repairability Index and a Framework for Change

Recognizing this crisis and opportunity, the Indian government, particularly the Ministry of Consumer Affairs, has taken a pivotal first step. Its plan to introduce a Repairability Index is a visionary move modeled on successful initiatives in countries like France. Much like the energy star ratings on appliances, this index will assign a score to electronic products based on key criteria:

• Availability of Spare Parts: How easily and affordably can consumers and repair shops access original components?

• Ease of Disassembly: Is the product designed with standard screws, or is it glued shut? Are components modular and easily replaceable?

• Access to Technical Documentation: Are repair manuals, schematics, and diagnostic software made publicly available?

This index will empower consumers to make informed choices, rewarding manufacturers who design for longevity and penalizing those who engage in planned obsolescence. It creates a market-based incentive for sustainability.

The Three-Pillar Framework for an Indian R2R Revolution

For the Right to Repair to truly take root in India, a collaborative, three-pronged strategy involving the government, Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs), and the third-party repair ecosystem is essential.

Pillar 1: Ensuring Access to Genuine Parts and Combating Counterfeits
The cornerstone of R2R is ensuring a streamlined supply chain for genuine spare parts to the independent repair market. The framework must facilitate trade between manufacturers and third-party buyers. This would dismantle the monopoly that authorised centres currently hold. A legitimate concern for OEMs is the proliferation of counterfeit parts. However, India already has a robust legal safeguard in the Consumer Protection Act, 2019. This law grants consumers the right to seek redress for defective products, including replacement, repair, refund, or compensation. Better enforcement of this act can protect both manufacturer interests and consumer safety, creating a trusted market for spare parts.

Pillar 2: Formalizing the Informal Sector through Upskilling and Certification
India’s informal repair technicians are an untapped national asset. Their skills, often acquired through hands-on experience, need to be formalized and upgraded. A government-industry partnership must prioritize large-scale upskilling and certification programs. These programs should focus on:

• Manufacturer-Aligned Techniques: Training technicians on the latest, manufacturer-recommended repair procedures.

• Safety Protocols: Emphasizing proper handling of batteries and other components to prevent accidents.

• Data Security: Instilling robust data handling and privacy practices to ensure user data is protected during repairs.

Certifying these technicians would integrate them into the formal economy, boosting their income and giving consumers confidence in third-party services.

Pillar 3: Tackling the Digital Barrier – The Scourge of “Parts Pairing”
Perhaps the most insidious anti-repair practice is “parts pairing.” This is a software lock where manufacturers deliberately design devices to disable certain functionalities or the entire device itself when they detect the replacement of a component—even a genuine one—with a non-authorized repair. For instance, replacing a smartphone screen at an independent shop might cause the phone to lose features like True Tone display or even face recognition, despite the repair being perfectly executed. This is a digital form of monopolistic control.

India’s R2R framework must explicitly address and restrict this practice. Including parts pairing as a negative criterion in the Repairability Index would hold manufacturers accountable. This would align India with global leaders in this space, such as the U.S. states of Colorado and Oregon, which have explicitly banned parts pairing in their right-to-repair legislation.

A Win-Win-Win Future: From Repair Desert to Repair Hub

The path forward is one of collaboration, not confrontation. A collaborative effort between the government, OEMs, and third-party repair participants can kickstart the right to repair movement in India. Public-Private Partnerships (PPPs) can be instrumental in driving skilling initiatives, easing the logistics of spare part distribution, and establishing safety standards.

The potential rewards are immense. By leveraging its existing, massive network of repair technicians, India can not only ensure the longevity of millions of devices domestically but also position itself as a global repair hub. Imagine a future where devices from across the world are sent to specialized, high-skilled repair centers in India, creating jobs and boosting the economy. This transition would formalize a large informal sector, foster a truly circular economy, and rekindle the spirit of ‘jugaad’ for the 21st century. It is a future where repair is not a last resort, but a first, smart, and sustainable choice—a future where we fix, not throw away.

Q&A Based on the Article

Q1: What is the “Repairability Index” proposed by the Indian government, and how is it expected to influence manufacturer behavior?

A1: The Repairability Index is a proposed government initiative, similar to energy efficiency ratings, that would assign a score to electronic products based on how easy they are to repair. It will assess factors like spare part availability, ease of disassembly, and access to technical documentation. By giving consumers clear information, it aims to create a market-based incentive, rewarding manufacturers who design durable, repairable products and pressuring those who engage in planned obsolescence to improve their designs.

Q2: The article highlights a major disparity in India’s repair ecosystem. What is the contrast between the number of mobile users and authorised service centres, and what problems does this create?

A2: India has over 1.2 billion mobile phone users but only about 12,000 authorised service centres. This vast disparity creates significant problems: authorised centres become overcrowded, leading to slow repair times; they often charge prohibitively high prices (e.g., ₹10,000 to fix a ₹30,000 phone); and they are geographically inaccessible to a large portion of the population, especially in rural and semi-urban areas.

Q3: What is “parts pairing,” and why is it considered a significant anti-repair practice that needs to be addressed in the R2R framework?

A3: Parts pairing is a manufacturer practice where software locks are used to disable a device or certain features when it detects the replacement of a component with a non-authorised part, even if that part is genuine and the repair is done correctly. It is a significant digital barrier to repair because it prevents third-party and self-repair, forcing consumers back to authorised channels and contributing to e-waste by rendering otherwise functional devices or components useless.

Q4: How can the existing Consumer Protection Act, 2019, serve as a foundation for supporting the Right to Repair movement in India?

A4: The Consumer Protection Act, 2019, grants consumers the right to seek redress for defective products, including replacement, repair, refund, or compensation for losses. This law can be a powerful tool for the R2R movement. If a consumer receives a substandard repair using counterfeit parts from an independent shop, they are protected under this act. Better enforcement of this law can therefore help build a trusted market for third-party repairs by safeguarding consumer interests and holding all repair providers accountable.

Q5: Beyond consumer convenience, what are the broader environmental and economic opportunities presented by a successful Right to Repair ecosystem in India?

A5: Beyond convenience, a successful R2R ecosystem offers profound benefits:

• Environmental: It directly combats the e-waste crisis by extending the lifespan of electronic devices, reducing the need for constant replacement and the associated resource extraction and manufacturing pollution.

• Economic: It can formalize and upskill India’s vast informal repair sector, creating better jobs. Furthermore, by leveraging its large network of technicians, India has the potential to position itself as a global repair hub, attracting business from other countries and generating significant economic activity.