You know that annoying feeling when your phone, which worked great until yesterday, suddenly starts to slow down? Or when after a few years your washing machine stops washing as well as it used to?

Unfortunately, this is not a coincidence or that you are particularly unlucky, it is a commercial practice that has its roots more than a century ago…

The Light Bulb Cartel: When It All Began

Let's go back to the 1920s. Some big light bulb manufacturers, such as General Electric, Philips and Osram, decided it was time to maximize profits. How? They all met in the Swiss city of Phoebus and they had a great business idea, as simple as it was ingenious: to jointly limit the life of light bulbs to just 1,000 hours. Yes, you read that right, they deliberately decided to make them last less.

Before this decision, light bulbs could easily exceed 2,500 hours of operation, but manufacturers wanted consumers to come back for more often.

This is the first case in history in which companies decide to deliberately reduce the quality of a product in favor of greater profits.

How We Got to Planned Obsolescence

With the advent of mass production, companies and other companies realized that if things lasted too long, sales would decline. So they began designing products that would break sooner or become obsolete quickly.

A classic example is that of household appliances. In the 1950s, washing machines and refrigerators were built to last for decades. But manufacturers soon realized that by selling products that were too durable, the market was becoming saturated. So they began to use less durable materials and design devices with components that were difficult to repair.

At the same time, advertising also played a key role. In the 1960s, car manufacturers introduced small aesthetic changes every year, making previous models look "old" and encouraging consumers to buy the new one. And so, year after year, the idea of ​​replacing a product rather than repairing it became more and more entrenched.

The situation today

Fast forward to today, and planned obsolescence is more alive than ever. One of the sectors most affected is undoubtedly technology. Smartphones are the most obvious case: every year new models come out with increasingly advanced features, while old devices start to mysteriously slow down or become incompatible with the latest software updates.

But it doesn't stop there. Modern appliances seem to be designed to last only as long as their warranty. And in the fashion world, "fast fashion" produces clothes that are cheap but ridiculously long-lasting, pushing us to buy new ones all the time.

Another absurd example? Cell phones and laptops with components that cannot be replaced or repaired, such as the battery which is a component that has a natural decay, thus forcing people to buy new ones for a problem that could be easily solved.

Can we do something?

The good news is that something is moving. The "right to repair" movement is gaining traction, pushing for laws that force companies to make products more repairable and durable. In Europe, for example, legislation has been introduced that requires manufacturers to provide spare parts for a minimum period after purchase.

But we consumers can also do our part. By choosing to repair instead of replace, supporting companies that promote sustainability, and investing in quality products, we can help change things.

In conclusion, planned obsolescence is a practice born to maximize profits at the expense of consumers and the environment. From the Phoebus Cartel to modern strategies, it is a story of (misdirected) ingenuity that continues to influence our lives. However, with a little awareness and intelligent choices, we can begin to reverse the trend.

Source: wikipedia.org