https://www.vice.com/en/article/7kvg59/microsoft-has-committed-to-right-to-repair

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(c) 2021 VICE MEDIA GROUP
[1556813252]

Microsoft Has Committed to Right to Repair

Facing pressure from investors and a shifting legal environment, the
PC giant has decided to make it easier for people to repair their own
stuff.
Matthew Gault
by Matthew Gault
October 7, 2021, 4:36pm

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Image: Getty Images
Screen Shot 2021-02-03 at 12
State of Repair is Motherboard's exploration of DIY culture, device
repair, ownership, and the forces fighting to lock down access to the
things you own.
See More -

Microsoft just promised it's going to make it easier for its
customers to repair the products it sells in the near future. As
first reported by Grist, the company will study the environmental
impact of right-to-repair and act on its findings by the end of the
next year.

The initiative is a reaction to a shareholder resolution filed in
June 2021 that demanded the company seriously consider the
environmental impact of making its products easier to repair, which
itself was fueled by the broader right to repair movement, which has
been gaining steam and momentum for years. The shareholders partnered
with As You Sow, a non-profit specializing in shareholder advocacy,
to help them put pressure on Microsoft. 

It seems to have worked. "This is an encouraging step by Microsoft to
respond to the upswell of federal and state activity in the right to
repair movement," Kelly McBee, waste program coordinator at As You
Sow, said in a press release. "Excitingly, this agreement will begin
to allow consumers to repair their Microsoft devices outside the
limited network of authorized repair shops."

As You Sow on Monday agreed to withdraw the shareholder resolution.
In exchange, Microsoft promised to "complete a third-party study
evaluating the environmental and social impacts associated with
increasing consumer access to repair and determine new mechanisms to
increase access to repair, including for Surface devices and Xbox
consoles, expand the availability of certain parts and repair
documentation beyond Microsoft's Authorized Service Provider network,
and initiate new mechanisms to enable and facilitate local repair
options for consumers."

The right-to-repair movement has won several key victories in the
past year. People want to fix their own stuff and companies and
politicians are starting to make it easier. The European Union has
moved to standardize phone chargers, a recent Biden executive order
paved the way for right-to-repair, and the FCC has formally adopted
the position that people should be able to fix their own stuff. 

Tagged:microsoftState of RepairRight to Repair

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