The concept of planned obsolescence emerged between 1920 and 1930 with the intention of creating a new market model, that of manufacturing products that have a short shelf life in a premeditated manner, thus forcing consumers to buy new products quickly and without any real need.
Its objective was (and is) immediate economic profit, without any regard for the care and respect for the environment or for human beings, polluting and overexploiting the natural resources of our planet.
SOP, No Planned Obsolescence, is a new way of thinking, of doing things. Of creating a new system in which products are designed and made to last forever and that does not force us to spend unnecessarily and to be more respectful of our planet.
SOP is a philosophy, an illusion, an ambition.
What is PLANNED OBSOLESCENCE?
Planned obsolescence is the programming of the end of the useful life of a product so that it becomes old, non-functional, useless or unusable after a life time calculated in advance by the manufacturer during its design phase.
To understand the full context under which this concept is handled, we recommend the documentary “Con fecha de caducciónd” directed by Cosima Dannoritzer and co-produced by Televisión Española.
The product will fail at some point, forcing the consumer to buy another one to replace it and start the cycle again. In other words, the current economic and production system does not fit into harmony or balance.
Buying in an accelerated and artificial manner
However, for the industry, planned obsolescence stimulates demand in a positive way, by encouraging consumers to buy new products quickly and without any real need. What would consumers think if they discovered that the manufacturer had invested a large amount of money in betraying the concepts of durability and quality of the product, contrary to what they claim? The fact is that the use of planned obsolescence is not always easy to determine.
It is complicated by factors such as:
- Constant technological competition or an overload of functions, which on the one hand expand the possibilities of using the product, on the other hand can cause it to fail completely.
- New markets or substitute technologies, in which consumers end up choosing one of them (they practically have no other choice) to the detriment of others. For example, the VHS video system versus DVD, Plasma, OCL, LED televisions, etc.
Falsehood in marketing
Obsolescence is usually planned by the manufacturer, studying the optimal time for the product to stop working correctly and need repairs or replacement, without the consumer losing confidence in the brand. Other times they create a specific product, which is later sold (exactly the same) only with a change in design. This is evident in fashion… One year stripes are in fashion and the next checks, so that the user is “forced” to change their perfectly fit and well-worn clothes.
And yet another way is to market incomplete products or those with less performance, at a low price, in order to establish themselves in the market by subsequently offering the improved product (as it could have been marketed from the beginning) and with the added advantage that the consumer (whom they treat as a useful idiot) gets the false image of a young and innovative company. In any case, the point is for the manufacturer to earn more money, at any cost.
Original source: OEP Electronics/No planned obsolescence.
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