Independent voices from academia, policy, repair, and media challenge America’s upgrade economy and call on CTA for Right to Repair action at CES 2027

, /PRNewswire/ – Back Market, the world’s leading refurbished tech marketplace, sparked a new conversation at CES 2026, one centered not on the newest devices, but on the cost of America’s obsession with constant upgrades. At The Slow Tech Awakening, a standing-room-only offsite event in downtown Las Vegas, leaders from repair, climate policy, journalism, and technology challenged the country’s fast-tech model and called for a shift toward longer-lasting, repairable devices.

Back Market billboard in Las Vegas

While CES traditionally celebrates rapid innovation and annual replacement cycles, speakers argued that short device lifespans, locked-down repair, and forced upgrades are not consumer preferences but structural failures built into the U.S. tech system. The discussion unfolded during Enough Already!! How America Got Trapped in the Upgrade Economy and What Comes Next, a panel that traced how U.S. tech culture became defined by speed and replacement, and why that model is now under pressure from consumers, regulators, and the climate crisis.

Independent Voices Call Out the U.S. Tech Model

Panelists challenged the assumption that rapid replacement is inevitable, pointing instead to design decisions, software restrictions, and market incentives that quietly shorten device lifespans in the United States, even as other regions move toward repairability standards and durability requirements. Speakers emphasized that forced obsolescence is driven by intentional business choices, including soldered components, restricted access to parts and software, limited documentation, and annual refresh cycles, including CES, that discourage repair. These decisions often determine whether a device will be repaired, refurbished, or discarded long before it ever breaks.

• Elizabeth Chamberlain, Director of Sustainability at iFixit, stressed that repairability is set at launch. "If repair isn’t considered during design, the device is effectively disposable from day one," she said. Chamberlain highlighted growing momentum behind the Right to Repair movement, noting that seven U.S. states have passed Right to Repair laws, every state has now introduced legislation, and manufacturers are increasingly engaging with repair advocates, a sharp shift from a decade ago.
• Sandra Goldmark, Associate Dean and Professor at Columbia Climate School, underscored that extending the life of existing electronics delivers some of the largest and fastest climate benefits available today. With circularity accounting for just 7 percent of the global economy, she argued that climate targets cannot be met without dramatically increasing repair, reuse, and refurbishment. "Extending the life of the devices we already have often delivers far greater climate and material impact than releasing marginally more efficient new ones," Goldmark said.
• **Joy Howard, Chief Marketing Officer at Back Market, **addressed the consumer impact of constant upgrades. "People are waking up to the reality that the upgrade cycle delivers frustration, not progress," she said. "Back Market’s nearly $5 billion valuation and $3 billion in global GMV show that durability and repair are not niche ideas, they’re real business. And in the U.S., we’re just getting started as more consumers question the upgrade treadmill and look for tech that actually serves them."
• **Moderator Molly Wood, Journalist and Investor **described CES as a powerful coordination point for narratives and capital, arguing that, "What gets framed as ‘next’ on the CES show floor doesn’t just predict the future, it determines it. Those signals shape what gets funded, built, and replaced, often without regard for long-term consumer value." A longtime CES insider, Wood criticized the lack of meaningful progress on sustainability at the show and called on CTA to take Right to Repair seriously ahead of CES 2027.

Panelists also highlighted the economic upside of circular tech. Repair and refurbishment create local, hands-on jobs, reduce material extraction, and allow manufacturers to lower service costs while building longer customer relationships. Several speakers challenged the industry’s annual upgrade model directly, including a call for a ten-year smartphone as a new industry benchmark.

The panel concluded that meaningful change will require external pressure, including strong Right to Repair laws, extended producer responsibility, recycled-content requirements, and cultural demand for products designed to last. As speakers agreed, "If the business models change, the market will follow."

"Americans have been pushed into believing that the fastest upgrade or the latest product hype is the best tech decision, but that system is finally being questioned," said Thibaud Hug de Larauze, CEO and Co-founder of Back Market. "We’re here to show that durability and repairability are not niche alternatives, they’re the future of personal technology."

A Moment of Cultural Accountability

The conversation was grounded by the U.S. premiere of Dandora, a 17-minute short documentary that traces the journey of discarded electronics from the U.S. and Europe to Dandora, Kenya, one of the world’s largest e-waste sites. The film anchored the discussion in the real-world consequences of short device lifespans and restricted repair.

Back Market also partnered with iFixit to host live voting for the People’s Choice category of iFixit’s annual Worst in Show Awards, giving CES attendees the opportunity to call out the least repairable products unveiled at CES 2026.

"Americans have been told that faster upgrades and newer devices mean better technology," added Hug de Larauze. "But durability and repairability are essential to our climate goals, our wallets, and our trust in technology. CES is the right place to say enough."

To learn more about your repair rights and how to break the upgrade treadmill, visit https://www.backmarket.com/en-us/end-fast-tech.

About Back Market

Back Market is a leading global marketplace dedicated to verified refurbished technology. Its mission is to create a world that does more with what we already have by prolonging the lifespan of electronic devices through circularity and repair. Founded in Paris in 2014, the company has grown by double digits year over year and today serves 17 million customers across 17 markets, avoiding more than 2 billion kilograms of carbon emissions.

SOURCE Back Market

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