:
John,
Your phone, laptop or appliance could be built to last -- or built to break.
Now, New Yorkers are one step away from knowing which.
New York's state legislature just became the first in the country to pass a bill requiring retailers to post repair scores for electronics at the point of sale.[1] All that's left now is the governor's signature.
Repair scores rate a product based on factors like how available spare parts are, how easy it is to take apart and how long the manufacturer will keep supporting it. Let's take a look at why these scores matter:
Electronic waste, commonly known as e-waste, is now the fastest-growing part of America's domestic waste stream -- and less than 30% of it actually gets recycled.[2] The rest piles up in landfills, where valuable materials go to waste and some components, which can be toxic, leach into our soil and water.
Every device that gets repaired instead of tossed is one less piece of that problem, and repair scores make that choice easier by helping people pick products that are built to last in the first place.
American households spend hundreds of dollars on new electronics each year -- often without knowing whether they'll last six months or six years.[3]
Repair scores change that -- giving people a clear, simple way to compare products before they buy, instead of finding out the hard way once something breaks.
When people can see how repairable a product is upfront, they're more likely to choose one that's actually built to last.
Repair scores aren't a new idea -- they're already working in other countries.
France has required repair scores since 2021, and the European Union expanded the requirement to all member states in 2024.[4]
In that time, repair scores have become a normal part of shopping for millions of people, precisely because they're an easy, visible way to see how fixable something is.
American lawmakers aren't being asked to invent something new. They're being asked to catch up to an idea that's already working.
New York doesn't have to be the only state getting this right.
That's why PIRG is building coalitions with lawmakers and consumer advocates and working to make repair scores the law of the land -- because your right to repair shouldn't depend on your zip code.
Thank you,
Faye Park
President
P.S. Every device that gets fixed instead of trashed is a win for the planet. Will you donate to help advance our right to repair?
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1. "N.Y. state Assembly first in country to pass repair score bill," PIRG, March 18, 2026.
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2. Lucas Gutterman and Andre Delattre, "Repair scores can help fix big concern for people buying tech, appliances," PIRG, February 11, 2025.
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3. Lucas Gutterman and Andre Delattre, "Repair scores can help fix big concern for people buying tech, appliances," PIRG, February 11, 2025.
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4. "N.Y. state Assembly first in country to pass repair score bill," PIRG, March 18, 2026.
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U.S. PIRG
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