The Design Technology Blog

Planned Obsolescence

Planned Obsolescence is when a product is designed to become obsolete rapidly with the release of a new model of the product or a completely new product all together. Companies that use this design technique will usually have a set date of when the product they just released will become obsolete and have a newer and better model already made. This technique and the idea that newer is better is what causes people to constantly upgrade and buy new products. It keeps the market moving which effects the wallet of the consumer but planned obsolescence also effects the environment.

Products designed for obsolescence tend to be made with a more green design as they are meant to be thrown out. The product also tends to be less durable as the product isn’t supposed to last long anyways. manufacturing the product is also made as cheap as possible sacrificing quality. All of this effects the environment in its own way, factories and plants give off a lot of pollution to make these products faster and cheaper. Products are made with different materials which have to be obtained in different ways which are usually harmful to the environment even though they may be green materials. Finally the lack of durability means that the product will break easily and be thrown away contributing to landfills.

Comments

2 responses to “Planned Obsolescence”

  1. Mousharafa Avatar
    Mousharafa

    its very interesting how products are produced in different processes and forms this consisting of the different types of materials. and how some products are known not to last for long based on what the company order

  2. oliviaajarvis Avatar
    oliviaajarvis

    Do you think it is the manufacturer’s fault or the consumer’s that planned obsolescence exists? If we had not evolved into such a wasteful society and instead felt inclined to protect the environment, would this problem be overcome? Manufacturers can only profit if consumers are willing to buy into their marketing schemes, in this case planned obsolescence. There are a number of ways that we as consumers can make our products last longer and therefore help towards protecting the envionment, in this way putting manufacturers who profit from this scheme into economic trouble.

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