In its announcement of its partnership with Microsoft, iFixit boasts that it has been at the “forefront of advocating for repairable product design.” The company also says that DIY repairs make for less e-waste and, therefore, help contribute to a more sustainable future. “This collaboration gives Surface owners more options to take control of their hardware and save the planet,” states Gwendalyn Garcia, Social Media & Product PR Manager at iFixit. She adds, “Just imagine how different the world would be if repairing every device and having access to original spare parts was this simple.”
Microsoft isn’t the first major tech company to work with iFixit to deliver genuine replacement parts to owners of its devices. Earlier this year, Google announced that iFixit would offer DIY replacement parts and repair instructions for the Pixel Fold. Partnerships with additional tech companies are likely in the future as well, thanks to the growing Right to Repair movement — which seeks to legalize consumers’ right to self-repair or seek out third parties for repairs, as opposed to being limited to the manufacturer. Not only does this reduce e-waste by making it easier to fix a device so it doesn’t need to be completely replaced, but it can also save consumers a lot of money from higher first-party repair costs.
Right to Repair laws may force companies that seek to monopolize the repairs of its own devices, like Apple is often accused of doing. California recently passed a new Right to Repair law that could inspire other states to do the same. DIY repair companies like iFixit may likely become more important than ever if the Right to Repair movement becomes the de facto law of the nation.
