What is Planned Obsolescence and What Can We Do About It?
- The Lawrencian
- Mar 4
- 3 min read
Written by: Jakub Momot ('27)
When you buy a new phone, it runs fast, works well, lasts reliably long, until about 2 years later when the battery dies faster, the software becomes sluggish, or some important component inside the phone breaks soon after the warranty expires. After this, fixing it can become more expensive than buying a new one altogether. Is this a coincidence? Not really.
What this is, is planned obsolescence, which is the intentional design of products to have a shorter lifespan that would otherwise last much longer, forcing consumers into buying new products to replace them. This practice first started in the 1920s, when light bulb manufacturers realized that their bulbs lasted too long for people to keep buying them. For this reason, a cartel called “Phoebus Cartel” was created. They changed the filament design and their operating standards so that these bulbs would burn out faster. The cartel was disbanded during World War II, but their work and the foundation they laid for planned obsolescence continued and now has become the standard procedure for appliances, electronics, clothes, and more, resulting in massive mountains of trash, emptied wallets, and a significant increase in our planet’s deterioration.
Planned obsolescence is one of the main reasons for the global electronic waste crisis. In just 2022, the world has produced over 62 million tons of e-waste. If this trend continues, it is estimated that we will generate 82 million tons of waste in 2030. Manufacturing each new device consumes a lot of raw materials and energy, so most of the carbon footprint that comes from a smartphone happens during manufacturing, not when it’s being used. It’s the same way with fashion: cheap clothes are made to fall apart after a few washes to nudge you to buy a replacement, and trends make older products feel obsolete.
Aside from the planet, your bank account will degrade as well, as an estimate of $43,000-$54,000 will be spent by the average consumer on unnecessary replacements. Many companies make repairs more difficult by making their products with obstacles like glued in batteries, non-standard screws, software locks that brick your device if third-party parts are used. Companies like Apple and John Deere make parts that are serialized (made specific) to their products, which they have faced lawsuits for. These companies along with many others spend millions to generate products that are built to degrade. When the price of repair exceeds the cost of buying a new one, consumers most often choose to buy again, which is exactly what manufacturers want.
Smartphones are the prime example of planned obsolescence, especially with the controversial Batterygate lawsuit, which was a result of Apple deliberately slowing down older iPhones through iOS updates, and to which Apple has agreed to pay $113 million to settle the lawsuit. Another example is Samsung, which has been fined (about $5.7 million) by Italy’s antitrust authority in 2018 for similar practices. Printers often stop working when ink is low, despite there being plenty of usable ink left, or they can include chips that block third-party ink refills. Additionally, appliances including refrigerators, coffee machines, and more often begin to fail after the warranty expires. Companies argue that shorter product lifespans drive innovation within their company, or that repairs can become safety risks in some cases.
Fortunately, consumers and lawmakers are pushing back against planned obsolescence. In the European Union, the Right to Repair directive takes full effect on July 31, 2026, which will require manufacturers to provide parts, tools, and manuals for up to 10 years on many products. In the U.S., in February 2026, bipartisan federal legislation, (meaning it’s supported by Democrats & Republicans and that the bill is to enacted on a national level) the Fair Repair Act has been introduced in Congress and is meant to require manufacturers to provide tools, parts, and to make repair terms accessible on fair terms nationwide.
To save your money and reduce waste, you can look for products with long warranties, replaceable parts, and high repairability (check ifixit.com and another good resource is repair.wiki). You could also support your local repair shop or look for brands that truly design for longevity and provide continued support after release. The more we as a society demand for more durable, repairable products, the faster companies will ha
ve to adapt.
Sources Consulted:
Comments