Consumption, planned obsolescence and waste

In the five decades since Vance Packard published The Waste Makers (1960), planned product obsolescence has developed in many subtle and sophisticated ways. Yet its social and environmental impact remains largely unacknowledged; planned obsolescence continues to be elaborated and to undermine consumer choice, increase costs of owning and using products, accelerating the destruction of useful objects and resulting in higher levels of ecological spoiling. It is a phenomenon widely acknowledged though little discussed. Conceptual and empirical detail will be discussed in relation to i) ‘in-built’ technological obsolescence the design; development and incorporation of functionally fragile components leading to premature malfunction, ii) stylistic obsolescence; the styling or fashioning of myriad consumer objects such that they are deemed to have ‘worn out’ stylistically and aesthetically before they have failed functionally and, iii) the ‘superfluous within the necessary’; the over-elaboration of products such that they are functionally ‘overprogrammed’, the specific design of many objects such that they cannot be repaired or adapted for alternate uses and, the way that many products urge and often require the subsequent consumption of extra goods and services simply to maintain them

R&D Appropriability and Planned Obsolescence: Empirical Evidence from Wheat Breeding in the UK (1960-1995)

Plant breeders face a unique appropriation problem - plants are reproducible, genetic information is heritable and seeds can be multiplied. The paper uses indicators of varietal age as a proxy for durability to examine strategies of planned obsolescence. Using wheat breeding in the UK, evidence of strategies of planned obsolescence is confirmed. This is then corroborated with evidence of tendencies towards increased proliferation of varieties on the market and breeding strategies that focus on incremental productivity improvements (i.e. increased efficiency) and narrow and limited disease resistance (i.e. reduced durability).Planned Obsolescence, R&D appropriability, Innovation, Plant Breeding, Crop Production/Industries, L13, O31, Q10,

Another Perspective on Planned obsolescence: is there really too much Innovation?

Models of durable goods with network externalities that set instantaneously have emphasized that a monopolist selling those goods has too high an incentive to introduce new vintages of the durable good, to make previous vintages (already bought by consumers) obsolete. This is referred to as planned obsolescence. We examine the robustness of planned obsolescence to the inclusion of network externalities that set in with a lag. If externalities set in with a lag (however small), consumers have an incentive to wait for other consumers to adopt the new vintage first, and in the absence of any change in prices, that leads to inefficient delay in adoption. Combining the two types of incentives we show that the monopolist is able to overcome consumer's inertia and still generate planned obsolescence through both intratemporal and intertemporal price discrimination. However, if monopoly power is "short lived" (for example due to copying), we show that, depending on the parameters of the model, we could have both types of inefficiencies: planned obsolescence or delay. Delay is brought about because copying limits the ability of the monopolist to increase prices in the future and therefore gives consumers an incentive to wait for both the onset of the (lagged) externality effect and the reduction in price caused by copiers. Delay appears mainly when the externality effect is strong and the new vintage is a significant improvement over the existing durable good.Planned obsolescence, durable goods, lagged network externalities, monopoly, delay.

Planned Obsolescence

Planirano zastarijevanje je tajni mehanizam koji pokreće naše društvo. Sama uloga u tom društvu se sastoji u tome da se kupuju proizvodi koji doista nisu potrebni. Planirano zastarijevanje proizvoda se svodi na to da većina proizvodna na današnjem tržištu su nekvalitetni i ograničeni s rokom trajanja. Samo trajanje proizvoda je namjerno ograničeno na dva načina, to su tehnički način koji se odnosi na ugrađene loše dijelove u proizvode i psihološki način koji djeluje na individualni stav potrošača o zamjeni funkcionalnog proizvoda. Također i stalna proizvodnja novih proizvoda iscrpljuje zemljine resurse, što zagađuje čovjekov okoliš stalnim bacanjem proizvoda koji su kratkog roka. Važno je u ovom radu napomenuti još jedan aspekt planiranog zastarijevanja koji je vezan za unutarnji proces u industriji, gdje se proizvođači u izradi proizvoda susreću sa materijalima koji su istrošeni i zastarjeli. Tada proizvođači koriste sustav koji predviđa trajanje životnog ciklusa korištenih materijala i proizvoda kako bi se identificiralo zastarijevanje kroz sve faze životnog ciklusa proizvoda ili usluge. Pri samoj upotrebi kvalitete i planiranog zastarijevanja koriste se različiti certifikati za upravljanjem kvalitete kako bi se smanjili na tržištu proizvodi koji se kvare nakon isteka garancije.Planned Obsolescence is a secret mechanism which moves our society. The thing in our society is that we buy products that we do not really need. Planned obsolescence is based on the fact that most of the products on market have bad quality and have a time limit until when can be used. The duration of the product is intentionally limited in two ways, and these are the technical way which refers to bad parts built in the products, and psychological way which affects consumers individual tendency to replace functional product. Also, continuous production of new products exhausts the Earths resources, which pollutes out environment with short-lived products. It is also important to say that there is one more aspect of planned obsolescence which is related to the internal industry process, where manufacturers meet with obsolete materials. Producers are using system that predicts the duration of the used materials and products life cycle, in order to identify obsolescence through all stages of products or services life cycle. Just for safeness we use some certificates for managing quality in order to reduce from the market those products that break down after the warranty expiration

Planned Obsolescence and the Provision of Unobservable Quality

This paper develops the idea that obsolescence acts as an incentive device to provide quality for experience goods. The argument is that obsolescence affects the frequency at which consumers repurchase products and may punish producers for a lack of quality. A higher rate of obsolescence enables a firm to convince its consumers that it provides high quality. We identify a trade--off between quality and durability, implying that the two are substitutes. This leads to excessive obsolescence. The inefficiency is due to unobservability and not monopolistic distortions. The theory follows naturally from the theory of repeated games.Obsolescence, unobservable quality, reputation, repeated games

Planned Obsolescence

Planirano zastarijevanje je tajni mehanizam koji pokreće naše društvo. Sama uloga u tom društvu se sastoji u tome da se kupuju proizvodi koji doista nisu potrebni. Planirano zastarijevanje proizvoda se svodi na to da većina proizvodna na današnjem tržištu su nekvalitetni i ograničeni s rokom trajanja. Samo trajanje proizvoda je namjerno ograničeno na dva načina, to su tehnički način koji se odnosi na ugrađene loše dijelove u proizvode i psihološki način koji djeluje na individualni stav potrošača o zamjeni funkcionalnog proizvoda. Također i stalna proizvodnja novih proizvoda iscrpljuje zemljine resurse, što zagađuje čovjekov okoliš stalnim bacanjem proizvoda koji su kratkog roka. Važno je u ovom radu napomenuti još jedan aspekt planiranog zastarijevanja koji je vezan za unutarnji proces u industriji, gdje se proizvođači u izradi proizvoda susreću sa materijalima koji su istrošeni i zastarjeli. Tada proizvođači koriste sustav koji predviđa trajanje životnog ciklusa korištenih materijala i proizvoda kako bi se identificiralo zastarijevanje kroz sve faze životnog ciklusa proizvoda ili usluge. Pri samoj upotrebi kvalitete i planiranog zastarijevanja koriste se različiti certifikati za upravljanjem kvalitete kako bi se smanjili na tržištu proizvodi koji se kvare nakon isteka garancije.Planned Obsolescence is a secret mechanism which moves our society. The thing in our society is that we buy products that we do not really need. Planned obsolescence is based on the fact that most of the products on market have bad quality and have a time limit until when can be used. The duration of the product is intentionally limited in two ways, and these are the technical way which refers to bad parts built in the products, and psychological way which affects consumers individual tendency to replace functional product. Also, continuous production of new products exhausts the Earths resources, which pollutes out environment with short-lived products. It is also important to say that there is one more aspect of planned obsolescence which is related to the internal industry process, where manufacturers meet with obsolete materials. Producers are using system that predicts the duration of the used materials and products life cycle, in order to identify obsolescence through all stages of products or services life cycle. Just for safeness we use some certificates for managing quality in order to reduce from the market those products that break down after the warranty expiration

Planned obsolescence

In this book is explained the process behind the short film Planned Obsolescence by Carolina Gabela, divided into three parts. The first part is the pre-production stage, which includes research on consumption, planned obsolescence and the use of smartphones and their effects; graphic references, development of characters, backgrounds and 3D modeling of the elements used in the short...En este libro está documentado el proceso de creación del cortometraje Planned Obsolescence por Carolina Gabela, dividido en tres parte. En la primera parte está descrito la etapa de pre-producción, que incluye la investigación sobre el consumismo, la obsolescencia programada y el uso de los smartphones y sus efectos; las referencias gráficas, el desarrollo de personajes, fondos y modelado en 3D de los elementos usados en el corto..

Stakeholder models, sustainability and the ethics of planned obsolescence

A Research Report submitted to the Faculty of Humanities, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Masters of Arts, Applied Ethics for Professionals Johannesburg, 2016In this research report I will be investigating whether companies have an obligation to shareholders or a wider group of stakeholders. If they have an obligation to a wider group of stakeholders, then the question is whether planned obsolescence is an ethical practice that should inform their business and what the role is of ethical leaders in addressing problems such as job losses, environmental damage and conspicuous consumption that result from planned obsolescence. As part of my attempt to answer the research question I will discuss the evolution of views regarding business and the profit motive in relation to shareholders, the multi-fiduciary model, the enlightened shareholder approach and the inclusive stakeholder approach. I will then focus on planned obsolescence as a pervasive business practice and what circumstances morally justify negative consequences which are weighed against the positive effects. Finally, I will propose ethical solutions to the issues raised around planned obsolescence, aimed at achieving specific benefits whilst also limiting the negativity introduced by planned obsolescence.GR201

Planned obsolescence : a non-restrictable industrial practice? answers from constitutional law, compared law and abuse of the law

74 páginasThe main purpose of this research is to approach the study of the planned obsolescence from the sight of constitutional law, as a concept that in law has two sides (faces); on one hand the planned obsolescence favours the achievement of legal assets and find itself protected by the principles of pro libertate and pro legalidade, and on the other it affects collective (public) goods and infringes subjective rights such as the consumer’s right to information, the right to quality goods, the right to security and the damage repair. In this context, a review about the answers offered by the different sources of law and the possible classification of the planned obsolescence as a hypothesis of abuse of rights, must be made