Authors Notes
Why did I choose Planned Obsolescence?
Society has a growing interest in what is happening to the environment and what it will mean for the present and the future.
This issue has been both disturbing me and gaining my interest for many years. I feel uncomfortable at the waste of products, money and resources especially as a lot of these products include materials that are not necessarily bio degradable.
The impact on societies habits and the planet are huge.
How does this relate to my Career Related Studies?
I have chosen to do my Reflective Project based on planned obsolescence in products due to my interest in product design and the environment. Researching this question will allow me to work ethically in product design should I get the chance to in the future. It will also help me to think more ethically on all levels.
Whilst researching the topic it will help prepare me to understand the wider issues that businesses consider other than just product function and style. It will raise my awareness of what is happening within companies and businesses and how they are approaching this issue.
Things I found notable while researching the project.
When choosing a subject for this project I felt knowledgable about planned obsolescence in the technology industry. However, the impact on the clothing industry I found enlightening and surprising, the idea that new materials would be formulated specifically to weaken was the opposite to what I would have expected. The clothing industry was one of the first areas that I researched and these finding fired my enthusiasm for more research. I was able to change my purchasing habits, eg. buying into H&M's close the loop campain which was only introduced to me while I was researching this topic.
Another major realisation was the treatment of the disposable goods - where does my rubbish go once I throw it away? I have always tried to be good to the environment recycling my clothes and household waste. Up until the point of research I'd thought that rubbish was perhaps dumped into the ocean creating a rubbish island. Although this is also the case (and still a problem) it was heartbreaking to realise that it is also being dumped on land and affecting not only the sea, animals and land but humans as well.
Finally it was interesting to learn the issues an ethical designer will have to face whilst producing a product, without disrespecting the businesses policies or the planet. It was also interesting to learn how a successful designer like Charles Eames approached ethics and the importance that he gave it.
