Consumerism is a subject affecting every person on the planet in a direct way. The act of consumption creates a void which needs to be perpetually refilled. And by refilling that void a creation process has to take effect, whether that process is man-made or natural, steps must be taken to fill the void created by the consumer. This is the interaction called life. But there’s a downside to consumerism, it impacts the welfare of planet earth and the monetary system of society.

Planned obsolescence is a term many consumers are unaware of though it dictates their everyday lives. Consumerism is destroying the earth and a once vibrant eco-system. The majority of the problem is due to poor business practices and a skewed ethical standard on the part of corporations. It boils down to poor business choices necessitated by greed. Society dances blindly to a song played on cash registers worldwide because of the ignorance of the consumer. The consumer indirectly faces planned obsolescence with every purchase of manufactured goods. Many of the new generation aged thirty and less are clueless about the history of production, pride in the workplace, and building products with care and quality. Products are built to fail on purpose, and the consumer blindly purchases without inquiring whether the product is built to last, or for how long. 

In the nineteen-seventies and even into the nineteen-eighties there were a sub-species of mankind called repairmen. They are now virtually extinct, but can be googled for anthropological studies. Repairmen would take a broken toaster, vacuum cleaner, television, microwave, oven, refrigerator, or washer and dryer and repair these appliances. For a small fee the appliance would be fixed, and in many cases last another twenty years before having to be replaced. There were cobblers who would fix shoes, car mechanics who would do cost-effective car repair, and seamstresses who would mend clothing to get more use before recycling. 

All this changed. The businessmen and corporations who wanted to make more money realized that if their products lasted a long time they would lose repeat business. Big business began to create faulty products on purpose in order for the consumer to have to buy more. In some cases the products were designed so the consumer would be unable to work on them or have a repairman fix them. For example; a common printer can in some cases be replaced by a new printer (which comes loaded with ink) more cheaply than replacing depleted ink cartridges in the old printer. If the printer stops functioning it would cost more to have the printer repaired than it would to throw it away and replace it with a new one. 

Repairmen used to inhabit every community. As time passed and the landfills grew deeper with the waste created by this illogical money-making scheme, the repairmen began to disappear. Consumerism has became a gluttonous act which subtracts from the time man has remaining on the earth due to his ineffectual ability to understand what his greed causes. The earth is being mined everyday for minerals and raw materials to build more and more products for the sole purpose of making corporations money. It is convenient that consumers don’t question planned obsolescence or cyclical consumption and just take for granted that when they wake tomorrow they can go to a store and buy new and throw away old, just because that’s how they have been taught.

Old automobiles are another example. Older automobiles were built to last, their parts were made with pride and the cars would perform satisfactory. If there was a problem that needed fixing the consumer could usually fix it themselves because the automobile was designed to be repaired. The consumer had a product which would last them as long as they took care of it and replaced faulty parts on occasion. Of course this changed. The automobiles of today usually have broken parts within the first few months of use off the lot due to poor design. They are designed to look good and perform better, but they are designed to fail and cost the consumer more money. The repairs must now be done in a repair shop more-so than by the consumer on these new cars. The parts are all made in haste and of cheaper quality materials and designed to last only a brief amount of time. 

This is planned obsolescence at work. The corporation knows that if a consumer buys an automobile and it only lasts them for three years they will need to replace it, which means more sales for the corporation. The big business ethics are criminal. They know what kind of carbon footprint consumers leave but also know those footprints grow due to their faulty business practices. As contributors to society, consumers have the right to know their products are built purposely to fail. This comes as no surprise to some. The vacuum cleaner being produced today is made to last less than a year under normal use. Old vacuum cleaners such as Electrolux last over forty years. The quality built into those machines was exemplary. They could also be repaired cheaply. 

Once corporations began to manufacture faulty products on a large scale they figured out how to do life tests on their products. And by constantly diminishing the strength of a product, the life of the product also diminished. Thus products are built to exacting specifications and engineered to fail to ensure repeat business from the consumer. The consumer who works more hours to earn more money to constantly replace failing products and thus spends more money and makes a deeper carbon footprint.

As the consumer works more they have less time to do everyday things like cooking a nutritious meal. So fast or prepared foods are more convenient. Food production and consumption is also a large problem because of packaging costs and waste. Landfills team with unnecessary garbage because of convenience foods. Real food is becoming a rarity as the simple quick meal replaces it in order for a quicker paced lifestyle. Lifestyles are dictated by the monetary and corporate systems, and the greed of those who feel to sell someone ten of a product instead of one is the way to stay in business. 

In order to stop this from happening, the consumer has little choice than watch as the world is destroyed by these greed-hungry producers. As a toaster or cell phone breaks it is casually recycled rather than repaired. It’s cheaper than having someone fix it for an exorbitant labor cost. So while some products are cheaper the labor cost per product repair has increased. Cyclical consumption is a scam to hook consumers and end long product life.

There are a few things the consumer can do to help turn this around. The consumer can purchase products with very good warranty protection against defects in workmanship or against product failure. These products may cost more, but are ethically produced. The consumer can research whether a specific product can be repaired by a repairman (there are a few left) or what the products success is on the market. And the consumer can stop buying the cheaper made products these companies pump out for profit. 

The world is in peril because of ignorance on the subject of how everyone spends their money. Everyone should research what cyclical production and planned obsolescence is doing to the planet, what it costs a typical consumer to support these greedy companies, and how they can help end it. Products can be made to last very long periods of time, they were made that way throughout the nineteen-forties through the nineteen-eighties. The only excuse for these products not being made in the same manner today is corporate greed.