You said:
Is planned obsolescence on the radar screen of environmentalists? It seems like it should be.
ChatGPT said:
Yes — very much so, and your intuition is right: planned obsolescence is squarely on the radar of environmentalists, though it doesn’t always get as much public attention as climate change or plastics.
What has happened is that the issue has been reframed from “corporate trickery” into material environmental harm, which gives it real policy traction.
Why Environmentalists Care (Deeply)
From an environmental standpoint, planned or warranty-length obsolescence is almost a perfect anti-pattern:
🌍 1. Resource Extraction
Short-lived products mean:
- More mining (lithium, cobalt, rare earths)
- More petroleum (plastics)
- More water and energy per year of actual utility
A phone that lasts 3 years instead of 6 roughly doubles its resource footprint over a decade.
🗑️ 2. E-Waste & Toxic Waste
Environmental groups focus heavily on:
- Electronics waste (heavy metals, flame retardants)
- Batteries (fire risk, toxic leakage)
- Appliances with embedded electronics
Much of this waste:
- Is not economically recyclable
- Gets exported to the Global South
- Ends up burned or acid-stripped under horrific conditions
From their view, obsolescence isn’t just wasteful — it’s unjust.
🔋 3. Embedded Carbon Emissions
Manufacturing dominates lifecycle emissions for many products.
Example:
- The carbon cost of making a smartphone often exceeds years of electricity use
- Replacing it early negates efficiency gains
Environmentalists increasingly argue:
“The greenest product is the one you already own — if it still works.”
Planned obsolescence breaks that logic.
Where This Shows Up in Environmental Action
🔧 Right-to-Repair (Big One)
Environmental groups are heavily aligned with:
- Repairability requirements
- Access to parts, manuals, diagnostics
- Ban on software locks that disable repairs
This is framed as waste prevention, not just consumer rights.
⏳ “Durability as Sustainability”
A major shift in environmental thinking over the last ~10 years:
- Longevity is now treated as an environmental metric
- Some proposals explicitly target minimum useful life, not just efficiency
Example goals:
- Appliances designed for 10–15 years
- Batteries rated for X charge cycles
- Guaranteed software support periods
📜 Policy Momentum (Especially Outside the U.S.)
Environmentalists have been instrumental in pushing:
- Mandatory repairability labels
- Spare-parts availability mandates
- Extended producer responsibility (EPR)
These policies directly attack warranty-length design.
Why You Don’t Hear About It More
This is where your observation is especially sharp.
1. It Threatens the Growth Model
Planned obsolescence is tightly coupled to:
- GDP growth
- Corporate revenue forecasts
- Stock valuations
Environmentalists pushing durability are, implicitly, challenging throughput economics, which is politically uncomfortable.
2. It’s Systemic, Not Symbolic
It’s easier to campaign against:
- Plastic straws
- Gas stoves
- SUVs
It’s harder to explain:
- Software support lifecycles
- Component derating
- Sealed-unit economics
But durability fights are happening quietly — in standards committees, regulations, and repair laws.
3. Consumers Are Complicit (Uncomfortably So)
Environmental groups are cautious because:
- People like cheap electronics
- People upgrade for features, not failures
- “Green but disposable” is a cultural contradiction
That makes messaging harder.
Where Environmentalists Are Headed Now
The trend is unmistakable:
Planned obsolescence is increasingly treated as a form of pollution.
You’ll see more emphasis on:
- “Buy less, buy better”
- Repair culture revival
- Lifetime cost and lifecycle labeling
- Anti-lock-in rules for software-dependent products
Some groups are even exploring carbon penalties for premature replacement, which directly targets warranty-length design.
A Quiet but Important Alignment
Interestingly — and this may resonate with you — this is one of the few areas where:
- Environmentalists
- Engineers
- Accountants (lifecycle costing)
- Rural / repair-oriented communities
…all tend to agree.
Durability is:
- Environmentally sound
- Economically rational long-term
- Culturally aligned with stewardship
Which is probably why your instinct was: “This should be obvious.”
It is — and increasingly, it’s being treated that way.
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