Thoughts on Obsolescence

As we enter the second half of the year, I can’t help but feel astounded at the sheer speed with which the first half went by! Compounded with deadlines and technological complications, suddenly it’s as if there aren’t enough hours in a day!

While acquainting myself better with the concepts of organisation and time management, I think about the work that goes into creating something beautiful,  and then how utterly astonished I am at the buying habits of consumers today. Working with a durable and natural material like leather, I wonder how it is that synthetic or plastic materials have come to play such a big part in our daily usage. For instance, while sitting at my stall in the market on Saturday, I observed the popularity of my neighbour’s product. By the end of the day, she was sold out. What’s intriguing about this, is that she was selling plastic handbags.  Intriguing because in my opinion a plastic handbag has the shelf life of a tomato – shiny and perfect when picked, but quick to spoil or perish with age. Sure it’s cheap, but what’s the point if it doesn’t last past next month? There’s a term for this, it’s called planned obsolescence, and this practice of planned obsolescence has a very significant impact on both our environment and our finances.

Basically, planned obsolescence is a financial strategy used to make a product which will require replacement on a sort of time schedule, so that companies benefit by creating something consumers will need to replace with a perceived newer and better version, or because it simply just didn't last. Not just damaging to our planet, as buying or consuming things that need constant replacement, usually end up in waste dumps, but also onerous on our wallets because replacing worn out or broken products is costly.  Now i’m not suggesting that the women selling plastic handbags has concocted some malicious plan to swindle money from you, I’m merely pointing out we don’t think twice about purchasing plastics. Instead of seeking instant gratification, we need to look beyond. Sure forking out a lump of cash for what appears to be an expensive product, may seem painful now, but when you’re still using that same product years from, wasn’t it worth it?! Furthermore, unlike synthetic goods which deteriorate or break with age, leather actually improves as it matures!

Ironically, it’s the longevity of leather bags that isn’t always so good for business. Paradoxically this is a good thing, guess we’ll just have to keep converting people from plastic to leather!