Tuesday, November 18, 2008

Planned Obsolescence and Apple Pie


So, I like connections. I like themes. I like when an idea is sparked, reinforced and re-articulated. I like when I watch a segment on 60 Minutes about something, read a Forrester report that jogs a related thought, get sent an article in Popular Mechanics on a similar subject, bake a pie...and then see another article in Wired that sums up all these themes. This is just such a connective post.

Oops, there was some pie baking in there? Well, if you're an old-school American setting out to to make your mother's pie for Thanksgiving, the device you inevitably turn to is your trusty Kitchen-Aid mixer. Mine is (I believe) two generations old - not two product generations, but two people generations. Regardless, it still works, it weighs a million pounds, its the same antiseptic white that is probably their best seller, and I've never even had to replace so much as the whisk that came with it. And I'll be damned if I can think of any reason why I would want a new one.

By contrast, let's reflect on my cell phone(s). First, I have two - one for work, and one for personal use. I tend to get a new personal phone every two years, when I can get the free or discounted ones Verizon offers me to renew my plan. Now, my laptops: I have two - one for work and one for personal use. In my lifetime I've probably had...hmmm...maybe five laptops and five mobile phones that have been 'mine' over the years? And I'm only 30.

My point? Technology is giving a whole new meaning to the notion of planned - or perceived - obsolescence. The frequency with which our generation will dispose of modern-day labor saving devices is increasing with unparalleled rapidity.

The good news is that the likes of Sony, Dell and LG are starting to partner with recycling centers to support take-back programs for out-dated models. And according to a recent article in Wired, their corporate benevolence is indeed largely profit-driven. Interestingly, there are environmentalists out there who are more interested in the end result than the motivation. Casey Harrell [of Greenpeace] estimates that recycling old electronics could result in up to 4-to-1 cost savings. "I don't think these companies would be lobbying [greener tech] unless there was a financial incentive," Harrell said. "It's not altruistic, and ultimately we don't care. We want the [cleaner] results, so if they're able to make money off of this ... it's a win-win."

According the Popular Mechanics, the same is true of our general recycling efforts. It actually pays to recycle. (May I throw out a YAHOO!) When you do an assessment of the total life cycle of a product, it often uses far less energy to recycle an existing good than to create it from raw materials. A few examples (still thanks to PM):
  • Aluminum requires 96 percent less energy to make from recycled cans than it does to process from bauxite

  • Recycled glass uses about 21 percent less energy

  • Recycled plastic bottles use 76 percent less energy

  • Newsprint requires about 45 percent less
Of course, by contrast, my decades-old mixer still looks like a pretty great deal.