Planned Obsolescence: A Deadly Solution

For decades, industries have suffered from the obsolescence of their equipment until the day they decided to fight this scourge by forcing it. A solution as iniquitous as it is disastrous, going as far as its prohibition by the authorities.

Planned obsolescence is defined by French law as an industrial strategy that aims to program the lifespan of a product in order to increase its frequency of replacement.

According to the Energy Transition Law adopted in 2015, planned obsolescence has become an offense as reprehensible as it is expensive, up to 2 years in prison and a penalty of 300,000 euros.

As fair as it is logical since the adoption of the latter only increases overconsumption and overproduction and therefore automatically waste, the intensification of pollution as well as the increase in waste of raw materials and energy.

Planned obsolescence has spread under an illusory and insidious shadow of growth suggesting that its adoption addresses the problem of component obsolescence while it only destroyed an entire ecosystem.

In this article, we will treat the subject from different perspectives by showing:

– The different types of planned obsolescence

– The social and environmental impact of this devastating solution

– The alternative solution offered by EcoSpare

Types of planned obsolescence

Before showing the different types of planned obsolescence, we would like to point out that the latter is based on two basic principles: 

• The manufacturer must be in a monopoly or oligopoly situation.
• The programmed lifespan of the device must be kept secret from the client.

We can see different types of planned obsolescence:

Technical obsolescence:

Technical obsolescence can be defined as the shutdown of equipment for three fundamental reasons: 

• Either one of its components has a limited lifespan or has become irreparable,
• Either the spare part is no longer available.
• Either we neglect the difference between expiration date (ED) or a Shelf life (SL) thus leading to premature shutdowns.

Aesthetic obsolescence:

In a world that is evolving with increasing frequency, and where vanity and the effects of modes are no longer passing trends but rather a lifestyle rooted in the daily lives of consumers, aesthetic obsolescence is born and seems to be profitable for companies. .

With the profusion of supply, products easily lose their value under the pretext that they are no longer aligned with new market trends. Companies today use different techniques, including Marketing and Sales, but in a rather devious way, constantly creating new fads to dissolve old ones for commercial gain. This is called the “aging effect”.

Obsolescence by incompatibility

In other words, incompatibility obsolescence is when one tries to force the incompatibility of a product (good, software or application) against later versions. Changes in formats or standards are often necessary to take product innovations into account. 

The many environmental and societal consequences

Planned obsolescence contributes significantly to a culture of waste by perpetuating a “buy new, buy often” mentality and consequently an increase in the waste rates of electronic and electrical equipment.

Therefore, the exercise of this practice is not without consequences, thus harming the environment and negatively impacting the economic and social model.

Environmental deterioration

According to the report on the Sustainable Development Goals 2020, over the past decade, every year each inhabitant has produced 5.3 to 7.3 kilograms of E-Waste.

Note that a significant percentage of this waste, consisting of equipment and components, should not have been thrown away in the first place, and could have been recycled or refurbished, tested and reused. These wastes are more often destroyed by open incineration or acid baths which pollute the environment and lead to the loss of natural resources, especially in countries which do not have the appropriate infrastructure to conduct this kind of practice.

More natural resources!

Rapid growth flows and changing trends demand an overuse and unbalanced use of resources, leading to the exhaustion of our planet’s resources.

The colossal demand for equipment continues to grow, causing production that requires a stream of energy and materials that are becoming increasingly rare. This leads to the excessive exploitation of raw materials while the resources of our planet are limited. This contributes to the adverse effects of climate change, the demolition of fertile land and the loss of biodiversity.

An impact on consumers’ budget management

Planned obsolescence does not spare society from its devastating effects. The latter negatively permeates consumer behavior, directly contributing to credit purchases and various forms of debt.

Therefore, this practice leads to the budget imbalance of individuals. Especially since the obsolescence of a functional product is more likely to affect consumers of low-income than higher-income ones, in effect potentially reducing their quality of life and widening the gap between the lifestyles of different social classes.

In an area for recycling and promoting natural resources, EcoSpare is part of a circular economy approach and contributes to sustainable development by using “Industrial waste” as raw materials and resources. It is this mechanism that we are trying to achieve through the establishment of a MarketPlace (the first in Europe) specialized in the sale and purchase of new, obsolete or used industrial parts.

The main objective is to limit the waste of immobilized components, regardless of their phase of life: in progress, at the end of the commercialization, or in obsolescence.

The extension of the duration of use is part of this notion of circular economy and constitutes an ecological alternative to planned obsolescence. Therefore, Spare-place is part of this approach by giving a second life to industrial parts with a mission to guarantee the availability, reliability and accessibility of its products. It allows manufacturers to make a financial gain while strengthening their ecological commitments.

Better consumption of resources and better management of our waste would lead to more growth while reducing the impact on our environment.

Each company must unite and get involved in this circular economy approach for the next generations and the future of our planet.