Why Planned Obsolescence Is Bad For The Planet?
What Is Planned Obsolescence?
Planned obsolescence is the practice of designing a product with an artificially limited useful life, so it will become obsolete or non-functional after a certain period of time.
This is done to create demand for the product and to generate profit from customers who need to replace it after a short time.
Apple is one of the worst (and most successful) companies to implement this strategy with iPhones being notoriously difficult and expensive to repair. Have you ever had trouble with an old phone slowing down to the point it’s unusable or not being able to install apps? This could be the result of planned obsolescence.
Another example is cheap home appliances like toasters, blenders & microwaves from budget retailers that don’t last and are replaced under warranty rather than repaired.
Why Planned Obsolescence Is Bad For The Environment
By artificially shortening the lifespan of a product, companies are purposefully creating more waste and consumption. This can be especially damaging to the environment since not all products can be recycled or reused. Furthermore, planned obsolescence also encourages production of increasingly complex and technologically sophisticated products that consume more energy than their less advanced versions. This leads to higher levels of pollution from both manufacturing processes and during use.
What Is the Impact On Consumers?
The practice of planned obsolescence has a major impact on consumer budgets. By intentionally cutting down on product lifespans, companies force consumers to buy new products more often and at higher prices. Consumers will likely also find themselves repeatedly buying short-lived or low-quality replacement parts for their products, which are designed to break quickly or become outdated shortly after purchase. This creates feelings of frustration and can cause financial hardship.
Waste Is Polluting Our Planet
As more goods are created and used for such a short time the waste continues to increase. These irreparable products are hard or impossible to recycle and even getting the valuable materials out of E-waste is difficult & expensive and often gets pushed to poorer countries to deal with. Currently, the largest e-waste dumping site in Africa is Agbogbloshie in Ghana.
Is Planned Obsolescence Legal?
Planned obsolescence is a difficult practice to judge given the lack of global law governing the practice. However, some countries do have restrictions on planned obsolescence that are meant to protect consumers from companies’ attempts to intentionally shorten the products’ lifespans. For example, France enacted a law in 2015 that made it illegal for companies to design products to break down quickly or cease functioning after a certain period. This gave individuals legal recourse if they felt their product stopped working prematurely due to intentional measures taken by the company.
Right To Repair
There has been a push from consumers for the “right to repair” – if you own something, you should be able to repair it yourself or take it to a technician of your choice.
How can we as consumers fight Planned Obsolescence?
- Refuse to buy products that can’t be repaired
- Buying less frequently – replacing things that we really need not because it’s a slightly different newer model
- Buy second-hand where possible
- See if there is a Remakery in your area where you can get help and learn to repair your belongings.
- Choosing quality over quantity – Investing in products that are better quality even if they are more expensive. Buying less often is more cost-effective long-term.
- Keep the 5 R’s in mind: Reduce, Recycle, Repair, Rehome, and Regift.
