Planned Obsolescence

The Trap of Planned Obsolescence

To maximize profits, they all collectively decided to manufacture only low-quality, short-lived bulbs. They dutifully followed this agreement.

Previously, bulbs lasted for about 2,500 hours, but after 1925, new bulbs in the market were designed to last only 1,000 hours. With reduced lifespan, demand naturally rose. Sales increased. These companies sold poor-quality bulbs at the same prices, reaping profits at the customers' expense. Now, with reduced lifespans, sales doubled or tripled. The bulb manufacturers were rolling in profits.

The industry learned a new trick: how to make money even by lowering product quality.

The companies that formed this profit-driven alliance became known as the Phoebus cartel. Their tactic of intentionally lowering product quality is called Planned Obsolescence.

This is, indeed, a trap. In Marathi, it can be called Niyojit Apracalan (Planned Obsolescence). In simple words, it means intentionally designing products to fail or become outdated so that customers are compelled to buy new ones.

 • Fifteen years ago, mobile phones used to work well for up to five years. Nowadays, even the best smartphones rarely last more than two or three years.

The reason? Planned Obsolescence. Phones are intentionally designed to fail within a few years. If old products are durable, who would buy new ones?

If companies want to ensure billions in profits, they must make their existing customers buy repeatedly.

 • Most products today are designed in the same way.

 • Earlier, TVs lasted for twenty years. Now, LED TVs start showing problems in five to seven years.

 • Today, we have the technology to make durable blades that can be reused for thousands of shaves. But no well-known company is interested in making such blades because it would kill the profitable business.

 • In the past, when the ink in a pen ran out, it was common to buy a refill. Now, pens are discarded once empty. When I look for a pen refill today, it's hard to find. The reason is the same: who will buy new pens if refills are available?

This twisted business tactic of Planned Obsolescence has given birth to the 'Use-and-Throw' culture.

The beautiful environment is turning into a massive garbage dump.

 • Clothes wear out? Throw them away.

 • Shoes get worn? Throw them away.

 • Laptop stops working? Buy a new one instead of repairing it.

 • Iron broke? Buy a new one.

 • Mixer stopped working? Buy a new one.

 • Washing machine fails? Get the latest model.

 • Spare parts for vehicles over 15-20 years old are no longer available, forcing people to sell them cheaply and buy new ones.

 • If a mouse or keyboard breaks, it has to be thrown away.

 • String lights, chargers, headphones, and other electronics are now rarely repaired.

Every year, new jersey designs are launched for each football or cricket team. The teams are the same. The players are the same. But every season brings a new look because fans are expected to buy new sets of clothes. In India, this craze is somewhat limited, but it's huge overseas.

Planned Obsolescence has a younger sibling, called Perceived Obsolescence.

 •Here, it's subtly implied that "Your car is now old; thus, you are outdated." Marketers deliberately instill feelings of disinterest or inferiority toward older possessions.

 • They convey through advertisements that if you don't buy the latest product, your personality is incomplete.

People who are simple or have a desire for prestige fall easily into this clever trap.

Educated, wealthy individuals and their imitators from the middle class fall into this cycle, buying new items unnecessarily or out of compulsion.

They obediently purchase the items they are repeatedly told to buy.

 • Sometimes for show,

 • Sometimes to impress,

 • Sometimes to satisfy their ego,

 • Sometimes under the guise of maintaining status,…

..... the buying continues non-stop.

Before every purchase, the ability to question "Do I really need this?" is gradually lost.

 • A fat paycheck never comes alone; it brings consumerism with it.

This phenomenon often affects the nouveau riche.

 • Attending fancy parties,

 • Taking large helpings and wasting food,

are all symptoms of this consumerism.

🔸The true fortunate are those who remain disciplined and maintain their essence despite financial prosperity.🔸

*People who measure everything by money are truly impoverished.*

🔸Those who understand the resources used and labor invested in creating a product are truly enlightened.🔸

A few shrewd business-minded individuals have disrupted the environment.

To fill their own pockets, they have trapped people and nature in their schemes.

The wealthy merely pay for these products.

The poor and middle class, driven by unreasonable desires for newness, sacrifice their lives in this trap.

The worst impacts of water, land, and air pollution fall on the most vulnerable parts of the population struggling below the poverty line.

This needs to change.

Are you well-informed?

Are you ready to change?

If you change, those who follow you will also change. So…

Buy with awareness based on genuine need, use items responsibly, and don't fall into the tempting trap of wastefulness. Don't become a new victim of Planned Obsolescence.😌😊