The right-to-repair movement finally began to get some traction last year. The UK introduced its law last summer, although it does not yet include consumer electronics such as smartphones, tablets and computers.

France, however, did include handsets in its legislation, which came into law at the beginning of 2021. These need to carry a repairability score in stores and online, and manufacturers must commit to supplying replacement parts in a timely way.

Elsewhere, right-to-repair regulation is advancing at both state and federal level in the US and Germany. In spring last year, the EU introduced regulations that require manufacturers to support repairs for a minimum of 10 years, although the thorny issue of who carries them out has been effectively devolved to how member states interpret the rules.

Notwithstanding concerns about planned obsolescence – which have swarmed around technology since the 20th century – the question of ‘who fixes it?’ has come...