What does the term ‘planned obsolescence’ mean in the context of marketing practice. Discuss how it eventually led to the emergence of the Right to repair movement.
Planned Obsolescence:
- This term was pointed out by an American industrial designer, Brook Stevens during the 1950s. It is a marketing practice in which manufacturers artificially shorten product lifecycles and encourage consumers to buy new products every few years.
- This practice favoured sellers and made them influence buying decisions to improve sales and increase profit.
- It curtailes to a significant extent the practice and concept of repairing the malfunctioning products
- It increases the customer spending on the products to an unacceptable level
- It erodes the ethical values like trust, confidence and value for money from society.
- It negatively impacts the environment as it leads to increased accumulation of e-waste in our land and water.
- It further heightens the gap between the haves and havenots (since the tech giants amass huge wealth at the cost of its customer money and their satisfaction)
- It further encourages the production of sub-standard products, making the customers fools.
- The above mentioned consequences of planned obsolescence eventually kindled recently, the Right to Repair movement.
- The participants of this movement assert that repairs is also a critical function for all forms of re-use and even extended useful life.
- It strives for retention of value of the products which is lost if it is irreparable.
- They assert that centuries of law tell us that buying something transfers control of that item from seller to buyer.
- The movement is gaining fruit with the positive legislative developments taking place in Europe and the US.
- Britain’s recently enacted Right to Repair law, US.’ Motor Vehicle Owners’ Right to Repair Act and very importantly EU’s directives towards circular economy are seen as an eyeopener
- Moreover, some of the tech giants started realising the fact that the process of repair could not affect their business negatively.
- It is high time for the people, business communities and ruling circles to realise how the consumerist culture is badly sapping our environment. Let’s hope for a better and sustainable earth as the concept and idea of a circular economy gaining momentum throughout the world.