We will never be able to afford a best of the best product, a product who outperforms every other competitor of its type, a product which will cross its own potential because a product like this will never exist. Here is why?
Planned Obsolescence: build to break
Lets talk about a world record today, a world record for the longest burning light bulb in the history, before telling you the record lets talk about the average life span of the bulbs used on daily basis. The best one are LED’ s bulb which have a life span of 4-5 years means they can be maxed burned continuously for about 5-6 years so now what do you think would be the record for 10 years? 20 years? 30 years? No, not even close the record is of 125 years.
A bulb in the Livermore firestation no. 6 is been lightened since 1901 and still luminating. This fact have raised a question in your mind that a bulb made in 1900 is able to light up for 125 years then why the bulbs manufactured in todays world with so much advancement in technology only able to light up for 4-5 years, it should have been opposite.
To explain this lets start from the start when bulbs were first sold they had a never ending life span with simple technology. The invention was one of a kind market got flooded with this because the demand was also high, the public accepted the idea of artificial light and the bulb making companies made a fortune out of this but a plot twist was waiting for them, after a while the sales saw a humungous dip, this made the companies scratch their heads because they had thousands of workers and employees to pay off.
The reason for the dip was that one was buying a new bulb because their bulb was working fantastically there was no need to change the bulb because it was too good, a product that good that you only need to buy it once in your life time, a happy-happy situation for the customers but not for the companies as they needed to be run by selling consistently so they came up with the idea known as planned obsolescence i.e. planning or designing your product in such a way that it has lesser lifespan than what could be achieved. If this sounds like a conspiracy to you then let me put on some facts to the table.
Phoebus cartel
Big names like Philips, Osram, Tungsram and few others came together in 1925 and formed an international cartel which goes by the name Phoebus Cartel which standardized the life span of a bulb to be only 1000 hours.
They controlled the manufacture and sale of the light bulbs in Europe and North America. It was intended to last for 30 years but it fell off in 1939 due to outbreak of world war 2.
Not just bulbs
Planned obsolescence has not been limited to only bulbs. Everything we see around is made in such a way to last lesser than its potential for example phones(mostly iphone), cars, fast fashion garments, household appliances and etc.
Why we cant have nice things?
Planned obsolescence in not only about greed, its somehow essential to economy to flow. If all the products would be made that good that they only need to be purchased once in your life time then most of the companies will shut down and workers will be left unemployed which is a bigger issue to the society so if not the best then atleast companies should provide better tha average so the quality can be placed in the sweet spot and becomes a win win situation for sellers and consumers but there is a big but.
The actual conspiracy
Is the quality of products the only thing which is been compromised or there a bigger unknown essential thing kept hidden from the public? A conspiracy often talked about that the cure for the cancer is been discovered but is kept hidden from the public. We talk about such conspiracies and we forget but will we be able to forget this one after getting to know about planned obsolescence.
FAQ’s
- What is planned obsolescence?
Planned obsolescence is a business strategy where products are intentionally designed to have a limited lifespan, encouraging consumers to replace them more frequently.
- What is the Phoebus Cartel?
The Phoebus Cartel was an international group of major light bulb manufacturers formed in 1924 that agreed to limit the lifespan of incandescent light bulbs to around 1,000 hours.
- Why is the Phoebus Cartel considered an example of planned obsolescence?
It is considered one of the earliest documented examples because member companies deliberately reduced the durability of their bulbs to increase replacement sales.
- Which companies were part of the Phoebus Cartel?
Major manufacturers, including companies such as Osram, Philips, and General Electric, were associated with the cartel.
- How did the Phoebus Cartel affect consumers?
Consumers had to replace light bulbs more often, resulting in higher long-term spending and increased waste.
- What are some modern examples of planned obsolescence?
Examples include smartphones with limited software support, devices with non-replaceable batteries, and products that are difficult or expensive to repair.
- How does planned obsolescence impact the environment?
It increases electronic waste, consumes more natural resources, and contributes to higher carbon emissions through continuous manufacturing and disposal.
- Is planned obsolescence legal today?
While planned obsolescence itself is not always illegal, some practices may violate consumer protection, competition, or environmental regulations depending on the country.
- What is the Right to Repair movement?
The Right to Repair movement advocates for making products easier to repair by providing access to spare parts, tools, and repair manuals.
- What lessons can businesses learn from the Phoebus Cartel?
The Phoebus Cartel remains a cautionary example of how prioritizing short-term profits over product longevity can lead to consumer distrust and increased regulatory scrutiny.
