> A market doesnt want our products, we wont provide those products to that market.

The terms seem at least, largely influenced by the laws euros seem happy with. Regulation has a cost.

e-waste also have a cost.

And regulations are here to make businesses internalize this cost instead of letting society as a whole pay it out.

Sometimes the cost is that there is no viable product.

And that is perfectly fine!

Yes its perfectly fine, thats my point. They arent spiting the EU, they are just responding to the legislation by not entering that market. If EU voters are unhappy they can take it up with their government.

Yes, indeed! But I don’t think Daenney gets it.

That's not what a lot of proponents of these laws argue. They often state that if a company is making something unavailable in the EU due to one of the laws that the company is throwing a fit or being spiteful.

And it's also probably true, especially for $MEGACORP. But in general the concept of this kind of laws, as others mentioned, it's to make companies internalize the whole cost of their product impact on the environment. It is GOOD if it drives the price up. At some point people will find it too expensive and they will simply not buy it because it's not worth the cost.

> We want to help people, but only if and when it’s profitable for us

If s/he is running a company and not a charity, this is responsible, understandable, and predictable.

Of course, but that makes "help" a weasel word. They want to be able to sell their product, that they possibly strongly feel will help the buyers.

Yes, and that's exactly why we need regulations, and can't leave it to the market!

This is, I believe, the definition of a free market choice

Yes, a free market isn't the answer to everything. It will never optimise for sustainability unless this is a conscious consumer choice factor. It's way too important to leave it to that though. Hence regulation.

Just change the underlying economic incentives - but nobody is even barely there yet, except maybe the EU. Doughnut Economics, when are you going to save us (& the planet)?

Fair enough, and I agree that regulation is often needed, but we cannot, in general, expect it to have only the consequences explicitly sought.

Uh... yeah. It's called a business.