Understanding Planned Obsolescence: Unsustainability Through Production, Consumption and Waste Generation

Planned obsolescence is when a product is deliberately designed to have a specific life span. This results in the overexploitation of natural resources, increased waste, with huge social impacts. It is very well known in industries such as consumer electronics, but it is now creeping into other sectors.

This ground-breaking new book looks at the cost and consequences of planned obsolescence and its negative effects. It considers the sustainability, legal and economic theories behind it, how to mitigate these manufacturing strategies, and find new ways of working. Planned Obsolescence includes a wide range of case studies from Europe, the US and South America.