“Perhaps EN4 will be the catalyst that forces product designers to really create sustainable products”

Over 90% of my work is repair and it’s certainly become more challenging in recent years as manufacturers eschew repairability for planned obsolescence and limited-life products.

Some blame this on Sir Jony Ive, the British designer who helped create Apple’s iconic look that normalised glued-in batteries and the screwless chassis. Apple’s AirPods, for instance, are a shameful product to be made in 2020 as they’re 100% disposable. A battery is glued into a tube, which is glued to a speaker and then glued to sensors that are glued to the casing, rendering it utterly unrepairable. Don’t take my word for it: have a look at this teardown video by iFixit (pcpro.link/312airpods). There’s no denying that the sound they create is stunning, especially when they’re chucked into a bin because something in them has failed.

Had enough moaning? Good: the reason I’ve made you so miserable is to bring you hope.

EN 45554:2020 (EN4) is an EU directive with the snappy title of “General methods for the assessment of the ability to repair, reuse and upgrade energy-related