Obsolescence - Political strategies for improved durability of products

From fridges to fans – a growing number of consumers replace household goods earlier than they did in the past. The reasons are manifold. Some products simply break down before they reach an optimum technical life. Others are replaced before they reach an optimal service life (time of use by consumers) - the technology may have become outdated or a computer is no longer compatible with the newest software. In other cases, consumers get rid of perfectly working mobile phones simply because they crave the latest model.

In this policy brief the German Environment Agency outlines some of its recommendations to policy makers, industry and consumers. They are based on two studies we commissioned in recent years and summed up in our position paper from 2016.