Planned obsolescence may be a new concept to some people, but it is important to understand for those who care for the environment and the impact of our purchasing activities. Planned obsolescence is a strategy to make a product unusable after a certain time period, prompting the user to make another purchase to replace it.
Preventing the repair of an item is one way that manufacturers promote planned obsolescence. They may make the product with parts that you can't find anywhere else, or make it very difficult to open the product itself, such as batteries in a smart phone. Repair and maintenance manuals may be available only to authorised dealers, preventing consumers from repairing the item themselves.
Durability Matters has a great article on planned obsolescence, and I suggest you check it out. They cover other types of planned obsolescence, such as stopping software updates and making a product with parts that they know will break sooner than others.
The term 'Right to Repair' has floated around over the last few years, without gaining much traction in Australia. Other countries have taken steps to make manufacturers more responsible for the repairability and durability of their products. Finally, last year, an inquiry was started by the Productivity Commission into "consumers’ ability to repair faulty goods and to access repair services at a competitive price". The issues paper was released at the end of the year and a draft report is expected next month.
Consumer advocacy group Choice says, "We want a world where it's easy to find products that last and where the repair process is simple and fair. If we get this right, we'll end up with better-quality products in our homes with a lower environmental impact." Couldn't have said it better myself.
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