Well planned obsolescence and the eco-design

Abstract

The planned obsolescence was born during the economical crisis that appears as a consequence of the “crack” of 1929. It was planned as a possible solution to the exit of that crisis allowing the increase of the manufacturing productions and the reduction of the unemployment. In the fifties of the twentieth century at the time of the booming of the US consumer society, a substantial part of the producers who provided it, put into practice this planning, supported by the low prices of raw materials and energy. This model was extended to the western world first, and later with the globalization of the economy it continues developing in the rest of the world. This profusely used methodology that has allowed the economic development of Western countries has to be coherent with the sustainability premises that are so necessary today, when the climate change and the overcrowding is a real problem. The successive crises: Energy, supply of raw materials and a more sustainability and social consciousness motivated by the effects of the climate change, makes this design methodology inadequate; then, there are more conscious final product users that demand products and services that introduce environmental aspects and specially avoid some practices like the planned obsolescence. Some new design models have appeared and been developed based on the sustainability and the circular economy. The successive conventions and protocols of Vienna, Montreal, Rio, Kyoto and Paris have compromised the governments of the world with the need for control to mitigate the harmful effects. This is why a new model, the eco-design, plays the role of efficiency manager, allowing to weigh certain environmental benefits derived from the replacement of obsolete components, and optimizing product life cycles in a global way. With the use of eco-design and its associated tools, it is possible to integrate the complete life cycle planning with the appropriate model of reuse, including retrofitting, remanufacturing, recycling and if necessary discarding. The benefits derived from an adequate planning of the environmental costs of the product will in the long term also affect the producer, not only through compliance with rules and regulations or through “green” marketing, but also through the return of intangibles. In this paper, the objective is the analysis of how well planned design methodologies can be implemented in the design phases of a product and its final benefits, advantages and disadvantages.