Perceived or Voluntary Obsolescence

🌱 What is perceived or voluntary obsolescence?

“Similarly to physical or built-in obsolescence, economic growth and development has been strongly established through perceived or voluntary obsolescence – since the 1960s. By releasing new product designs and greatly marketing these new products, consumers are brought to believe that they need new items to replace their old “outdated” ones.”[i]

🌱 Why do consumers swap items out for new ones?

 “Consumer perceptions have shifted so that many […] products are no longer seen as ‘durables’ but as ‘consumables’”.[ii] “The continuous product development that shortens the replacement and disposal cycles of products is problematic for the environment.” [iii] “The introduction of new products and the compatibility of new products with older ones both play a role in obsolescence.”[iv] “Through perceived or voluntary obsolescence, the life cycles of products are redefined by “devising ways to make functioning goods seem outdated in order to sell similar products in a different, supposedly better shell”.”[v]

🌱 What role does “fashion thinking” play?

 “The aesthetic characteristics in product design can lead to the premature disposal of products. Products that have polished outer surfaces are particularly susceptible to being disposed prematurely, as the scratching up or wearing down of their surfaces easily dissatisfies users. Furthermore, the implementation of “fashion thinking” in the designing of appliances can take away from consumers’ focus on durability in the purchasing phase and lead to premature disposal.”[vi] “Hence, products are considered to be worn out or out-of-date – either stylistically and aesthetically, by their users before the products stop functioning.”[vii] “Similarly, when the features of a new products are desirable or seen as beneficial, the old product may become obsolete.”[viii] “The ‘throwawayism’ culture resulting from perceived obsolescence has contributed largely to the production of e-waste. When discarding e-waste, many consumers throw it into the ordinary waste – opposed to bringing it to appropriate recycling sites.”[ix]

🌱 What is eco-obsolescence?

“The trend or ambition to replace old products with new ones that are more energy efficient is a contributing factor in the shortened use of products. Product eco-labelling schemes and governmental programs encourage consumers to upgrade their appliances to ones that are more energy efficient. Yet, prematurely taking old inefficient products out of use to replace them with more efficient ones is not always environmentally beneficial, and may therefore result in so-called ‘eco-obsolescence’. Often the replacing of an older model of a product with a more eco-efficient model, that makes use of recent technological advancement, occurs too early on in the lifespan of a product. The frequency and duration at which a product is used by the consumer, the initial energy required for the manufacturing and distribution of the product, and the lifespan of the new product must be taken into consideration, alongside the reduced energy consumption of the operating product.”[x]

This post is based on Christine Nikander’s research on e-waste and planned obsolescence at Leiden University College The Hague in 2015-2016. It entails extracts from her thesis titled “E-Waste Trafficking as an Environmental Crime: Countering the Transboundary Movement of E-waste by Legally Limiting Planned Obsolescence”. This content is protected by Dutch copyright law (©2016 by Christine Nikander) and all rights are reserved.

[i] Cosima Dannoritzer, The Light Bulb Conspiracy (2010); Umweltbundesamt, “Elektrogeräte werden immer kürzer genutzt, Gründe für den frühzeitigen Austausch sind vielfältig – UBA empfiehlt Mindesthaltbarkeit”, http://www.umweltbundesamt.de/presse/presseinformationen/elektrogeraete-werden-immer-kuerzer-genutzt; Christine Nikander, “E-Waste Trafficking as an Environmental Crime: Countering the Transboundary Movement of E-waste by Legally Limiting Planned Obsolescence”, https://hdl.handle.net/1887/60627, 36.

[ii] Miles Park, “E-waste and Obsolescence: Designing out toxicity”, https://dl.designresearchsociety.org/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=2468&context=drs-conference-papers, 3; Christine Nikander, “E-Waste Trafficking as an Environmental Crime: Countering the Transboundary Movement of E-waste by Legally Limiting Planned Obsolescence”, https://hdl.handle.net/1887/60627, 36.

[iii] Joseph Guiltinan, “Creative Destruction and Destructive Creations: Environmental Ethics and Planned Obsolescence”, https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-008-9907-9, 19; Christine Nikander, “E-Waste Trafficking as an Environmental Crime: Countering the Transboundary Movement of E-waste by Legally Limiting Planned Obsolescence”, https://hdl.handle.net/1887/60627, 36.

[iv] Jeremy Bulow, “An Economic Theory of Planned Obsolescence”, https://www.econstor.eu/bitstream/10419/262438/1/wp036.pdf, 729; Christine Nikander, “E-Waste Trafficking as an Environmental Crime: Countering the Transboundary Movement of E-waste by Legally Limiting Planned Obsolescence”, https://hdl.handle.net/1887/60627, 36.

[v] Rafael Gomes de Oliveira, “Planned Obsolescence”, https://ascelibrary.org/doi/epdf/10.1061/%28ASCE%29LM.1943-5630.0000244, 262; Avi Brisman and Nigel South, "Conclusion: The planned obsolescence of planet Earth? How green criminology can help us learn from experience and contribute to our future." in “Routledge International Handbook of Green Criminology” (2013), 411; Christine Nikander, “E-Waste Trafficking as an Environmental Crime: Countering the Transboundary Movement of E-waste by Legally Limiting Planned Obsolescence”, https://hdl.handle.net/1887/60627, 36.

[vi] Joseph Guiltinan, “Creative Destruction and Destructive Creations: Environmental Ethics and Planned Obsolescence”, https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-008-9907-9, 20, 21; Christine Nikander, “E-Waste Trafficking as an Environmental Crime: Countering the Transboundary Movement of E-waste by Legally Limiting Planned Obsolescence”, https://hdl.handle.net/1887/60627, 36-37.

[vii] Neil Maycroft, “Consumption, planned obsolescence and waste”, https://core.ac.uk/download/pdf/56229.pdf, 3, 16; Christine Nikander, “E-Waste Trafficking as an Environmental Crime: Countering the Transboundary Movement of E-waste by Legally Limiting Planned Obsolescence”, https://hdl.handle.net/1887/60627, 37.

[viii] Joseph Guiltinan, “Creative Destruction and Destructive Creations: Environmental Ethics and Planned Obsolescence”, https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-008-9907-9, 20-21; Christine Nikander, “E-Waste Trafficking as an Environmental Crime: Countering the Transboundary Movement of E-waste by Legally Limiting Planned Obsolescence”, https://hdl.handle.net/1887/60627, 37.

[ix] Cosima Dannoritzer, The Light Bulb Conspiracy (2010); Christine Nikander, “E-Waste Trafficking as an Environmental Crime: Countering the Transboundary Movement of E-waste by Legally Limiting Planned Obsolescence”, https://hdl.handle.net/1887/60627, 37.

[x] Miles Park, “E-waste and Obsolescence: Designing out toxicity”, https://dl.designresearchsociety.org/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=2468&context=drs-conference-papers, 5; Christine Nikander, “E-Waste Trafficking as an Environmental Crime: Countering the Transboundary Movement of E-waste by Legally Limiting Planned Obsolescence”, https://hdl.handle.net/1887/60627, 38.