Planned Obsolescence


What is planned obsolescence?

• The intentional failings of a product

• The shortening of a products life

• Manipulation of a market through product

lifespans


Definition of Planned Obsolescence

“the deliberate policy of making a product
become rapidly out of date or unserviceable, as
by changing minor characteristics of a model, in
order to ensure continual sale of new goods”.
- The Macquarie Dictionary (2005, p1459)


Descriptions


When did it start and why?

• Great Depression and post World War economy
• Used to stimulate economic growth and generate
employment and combat ‘frugality’
• Wanted to facilitate growth by making people have to
consume more frequently
• Corporations realised they could make more profits
from continual consumption
• Create long term sales volumes by reducing the time
between repeat purchases


Does it really exist?

• Count how many mobile phones you have owned
and list the reasons that you had to purchase a
new one

• Consider how often your have had to replace
household electrical items such as kettles and
toasters


Vance Packard and the Waste Makers

• The Waste Makers was published in the 1960s and
set out to expose the social and environmental
degradation resulting from wasteful society and
planned obsolescence in products
• “the systematic attempt of business to make us
wasteful, debt-ridden, permanently discontented
individuals”.


• “our enormously productive economy…
demands that we make consumption our way
of life, that we convert the buying and use of
goods into rituals, that we seek our spiritual
satisfaction, our ego satisfactions, in
consumption… We need things consumed,
burned up, worn out, replaced, and discarded
at an ever increasing rate”
‐ George Nelson, Industrial Designer


Types of Planned Obsolescence


Technical

• Technical: an existing
product becomes dated
when a new product is
introduced that improves
the function of the
product in some way.


Aesthetic

• Aesthetic (style): a
product that is still
functional becomes
unfashionable in our
minds because styling
changes make it less
desirable.


Functional

• Functional: when a
product is intended to
break down or wear out
within a given time.


Service / system

• When the service of
system that supports the
product is changed or
altered to encourage the
consumption of a newer
product


Notification

• Lights or parts that
change colour to inform
consumers that they need
to purchase a
replacement product
even through the product
will still function


Advantages

Manufacturers
• Increased revenue from sales
• Repeat customers
• Seen as a technological leader, rapid innovation
Consumers
• Cheaper upfront purchasing costs
• Satisfaction of buying the latest,, safest or ‘best’
products
• Being a ‘trend setter’ or fashionable
• Being able to afford to have ‘everything’

Disadvantages

Manufacturers
• Increased dissatisfaction from customers
• Legal ramifications
• Bad reputation / media coverage
Consumers
• Competitive consumption ‐ "keeping up with the Jones"
• Forced into continual consumption cycles
• Ongoing replacement or upgrading costs
• Pressure to consume from advertising, peers and media


Why is PO a problem?

• Environmental impacts
• Because everything created
comes from nature
• All resources are finite, some
more then others
• Creates inequity as consumers
are not in control or aware of
the lifespan of the products
that they purchase
• Promotes wasteful society


Product Life Cycles


Designer influences

• Over 80% of a products social and environmental
implications are decided and ‘locked in’ at the
design stage (USA EPA)

• Designer’s are the agents that have some of the
greatest capacity to dictate the social and
environmental implications of consumer goods


Resource extraction

• All resources come from
nature at some stage
• Resources are finite and
should be used
conservatively
• Equity issues around the
use and waste of
resources
• Generates huge amounts
of waste

Manufacturing

• Inputs includes: materials,
energy, water etc
• Outputs include carbon
emissions, waste water,
toxic substances, waste
materials etc
• Equity issues with current
manufacturing practices


Packaging & Transportation

• Transport and
packaging happens at
EVERY stage of a
products life
• Greater impacts from
air and road
transportation
• Over packaging is a
waste of resources


Use

• Resource use during
life such as energy or
water etc
• Continual consumables
such as cartridges or
cleaning products
creates impacts
• Equity issues over
safety, toxicity etc


End of Life

• Loss of resources to
landfill
• Limited recycling
systems and capacity
in different countries
• Recycling is often
‘down cycling’


Ramifications of PO


Leyla Acaroglu ::
www.EcoInnovators.com.au

Final Thoughts

• Its not someone else responsibility to solve
social and environmental problems – its
everyone's responsibility
• Designer’s are in a unique position to
influence change over corporations and
consumers alike
• Don’t wait to be asked – just do it
• Be a subversive designer

Thanks for your time

Questions:
ecoinnovators@gmail.com


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