In an earlier article, I wrote on the subject of perceived obsolescence and its impact on the environment. Perceived obsolescence is basically about fashion and trends; usually steered by clever marketing.
Planned obsolescence can be equally as seedy at times in that it's implemented as a strategy by some (many?) manufacturers in order that you buy more often.
Ever noticed how some items seem to die as soon as the warranty period has expired? Or that a single component costs so much to replace? It's not a coincidence, this is likely planned obsolescence and it's fuelling our tendency towards hyperconsumption.
A colleague of mine worked in the washing machine industry, designing components for a major manufacturer. He told me that while the machines generally were of high quality, there were certain parts designed to break down within X period of time. If the company chose to spend a couple of dollars more, the same parts could last many times longer. Because the parts were specific to the machine, generic replacements were hard to come by; so customers would have pay a huge amount for the replacement - which explains why the machines were reasonably cheap to start out with.
