Main contact:
Mitch Kramer, owner at Fixco
email: mitch@fixco.me
phone: 360-360-2852
Additional questions about Sustainable Connections:Jenna Deane, Sustainable Connections’ Toward Zero Waste Program Manager
email: JennaD@sustainableconnections.org
phone: 360-647-7093 x108
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Local Bellingham Business Paves the Way for Consumer Rights and Environmental Sustainability in WA with Right to Repair Act
Bellingham, WA, Jan 16, 2024 –In a groundbreaking move, Washington state is on the verge of making repairing electronic devices, including iPhones, more accessible to consumers. A bill known as the Right to Repair Act, championed by Mitch Kramer, owner of Bellingham’s FIXCO, an independent repair shop and member of Sustainable Connections, is gaining traction in the Legislature.
The proposed legislation would broaden access to the information and tools necessary to repair certain products, such as computers, phones, appliances, agricultural equipment, and powered wheelchairs. While the bill has diverse applications, electronics remain a primary focus due to their impact on the largest number of consumers.
This initiative comes as a response to the increasing challenges faced by repair businesses like FIXCO, as well as the frustration of consumers who find it difficult to fix their devices.
Mitch Kramer, the driving force behind the Right to Repair Act, emphasizes the need for change: “We need a future where consumers have the freedom to repair their own devices and make sustainable choices.”
The bill, first introduced in 2018, gained momentum in March 2023 when it passed in the House with a 58-38 vote but faced a setback in the Senate. Undeterred, the bill has been reintroduced in the current legislative session.
While some opposition is surfacing from the agricultural industry, with claims that the issue has been effectively resolved, major tech giants Apple and Google are standing in support of the Right to Repair Act.
HB 1933 is scheduled for an executive session on Wednesday, January 17, at 1:30 p.m., marking a critical step toward empowering consumers and promoting environmental sustainability in Washington State.
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