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Planned Obsolescence…

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Below is an oversimplification, I picked up on the WEB, but it struck a deep chord in me, in my interpretation of “Planned Obsolescence” for hearing aids… The world doesn’t have infinite resources, or infinite landfills, at some point, the bubble will burst, so in my opinion, everything needs to be recycled as best we can…Now, I am as guilty as most folks, for buying the latest & greatest, but I have in the past given aids to needy causes, and the aids I have, I still regularly rotate… Please enjoy the story below, it’s simplistic, but in my opinion, entirely effective… Two Clothespins… Cheers Kev :wink:

IMG_0449

My dad handed me two clothespins. “This,” he said, “is the story of everything.”

In one hand: a clothespin from the 1960s. Solid, dense hardwood — likely maple or beech — warm to the touch, smoothed by time and use. It still works perfectly, some 60 years later.

In the other: a clothespin from 2025. Lighter, paler wood, maybe pine or poplar. It feels brittle. The spring is thinner, less stable. It was marketed online as “extra durable.” My dad raised an eyebrow.

At first glance, it’s just two clothespins. But in truth, it’s a snapshot of an entire economic philosophy — the shift from durability to disposability. From stewardship to consumption. From craftsmanship to cost-cutting.

This is planned obsolescence in action.

We don’t often think about how products are intentionally designed to fail. That a company might choose materials not for longevity, but for built-in expiration. Why? Because a product that lasts is a product that doesn’t need to be bought again. And if it doesn’t need to be bought again, it doesn’t generate continuous profit.

So, to keep the wheels of commerce turning, products must break. Slowly, subtly — a frayed wire here, a cracked hinge there. Just enough to send us back to the store. Again and again. Not because we want more, but because what we had was never built to last.

It might seem like a clever business strategy — but the costs are everywhere.

We see it in our landfills, overflowing with the remnants of yesterday’s purchases. We feel it in our wallets, spending more over time to replace what shouldn’t need replacing. And perhaps most invisibly, we feel it in our spirits — growing accustomed to the idea that nothing is meant to endure, not even the things we once cherished.

But what if this philosophy doesn’t just apply to objects? What if it’s conditioned us to treat relationships, homes, communities — even the Earth — as temporary, disposable, easily replaced?

What if the very fabric of our culture has been rewoven in the image of the broken clothespin?

Because make no mistake: this model is unsustainable. A planet cannot withstand infinite waste from a species that insists on building everything for planned failure. Resources are finite. Landfills are finite. Time is finite.

And yet, the good news is, this clothespin from the 1960s reminds us that another way is possible. That we once made things to last — and we can again. That quality, intention, and respect for materials matter. That we can design for repair instead of replacement. For continuity instead of collapse.

The story in my palm is about more than laundry. It’s about the choices we make — and the world they create.

12 people in this conversation13 min readJump to latest

Good one, but here in the UK, those clothespins aren’t an issue, as more often than not, we dry our clothes indoor, due to the weather being either wet or windy or a both, but rarely sunny.

I think it has to do with corporate greed and cutting corners, that most companies try to replicate, income and keeping shareholder happy, rather than consumer happy.
Cheaply made, cheaply sold, you get what you pay for.

But you get every now and then few companies that do the right thing, but you will have to find them.

Is it a planned obsolescence or is it to do with type of materials/composits used or the process?

You can extend that to Marvel → Paradise → Lumity → Sphere

Those are incremental development, but was it necessary to release them every 2 years, or is better to jump from Marvel to Sphere in 5 years increment?

Money I think is the driving force.

The problem is there are no honest powerful consumer organisations that can dictate to manufacturers what they should adhere to, that’s why they will continue to take us for cow :cow2: and milk :milk_glass: as much as they can.

Electronic devices from the beginning were designed to hook people to always want the newest version, the same with software, cars, trucks, etc. it was the business model from the inception. How else were the companies going to stay in business. Now there has always been a different mindset between consumer and business to business models.

I enjoyed reading your analogy. Really true! It seems like we have to make things ourselves for them to last.

Here are the kind of clothespins my mother used when I was a little girl. I created little people out if them, drawing on faces and glueing on pieces of fabric:

(Etsy link)
https://www.etsy.com/listing/1457583017/vintage-clothespins-round-head-spring?gpla=1&gao=1&&utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=shopping_us_ps-e-home_and_living&utm_custom1=_k_Cj0KCQjw953DBhCyARIsANhIZobw-A8lIgnJBwkJOXPOCd1p7biFBTQl07UAFoUe1HQr1HwOt7qPTuQaApmiEALw_wcB_k_&utm_content=go_22198874062_175014752392_731770112324_pla-303628061699_m__1457583017_12768591&utm_custom2=22198874062&gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=22198874062&gclid=Cj0KCQjw953DBhCyARIsANhIZobw-A8lIgnJBwkJOXPOCd1p7biFBTQl07UAFoUe1HQr1HwOt7qPTuQaApmiEALw_wcB

Funnily enough we were talking about planned obsolescence earlier this evening. Our lawnmower ground to a halt a couple of weeks ago and despite attempts to fix it we had to buy a new one. First one lasted 34 years and the new one will most likely last 5. Our smart TV has recently started getting slower to react to being switched on, channel change selections etc. Our old TV lasted 17 years, but this one we’ve had around 6.

Reportedly, in European Union, since 2027 all smartphones must have replaceable battery. This is caused by the desire to extend the life of already purchased phones.

@Baltazard said:

You can extend that to Marvel → Paradise → Lumity → Sphere

Those are incremental development, but was it necessary to release them every 2 years, or is better to jump from Marvel to Sphere in 5 years increment?

I do not necessarily agree with that proposition. I changed every 4-5 years, so new generations didn’t disturb me. In each subsequent year, there are always people purchasing HA after 4 or 5 years from the last one.

Even partial reimbursement in my country occurs once every 5 years.

I am glad that I could buy Paradise, not Marvel, because the PRISM chip, motion sensor, Speech Enhancer, and active 2 Bluetooth Classic connection were very convenient for me. This was not the case in Marvels.
However, I am glad that planned obsolescence is being noticed.

Interesting topic, but perhaps not as straightforward as it seems. The flipside of the story is that you do not want to “overdesign” consumer products, increasing their costs and ending up with a slow write-down that renders them rapidly non-competitive with newly designed products (clothes that are no longer fashionable, obsolete tech). This equation very much depends on the situation ofc, but the point is that durability at all costs has clear limits.
There is a (possibly apocryphal) story about Henry Ford, who discovered that kingpins in his Model T cars were so durable that they rarely failed, even in scrapped vehicles. He concluded that these parts could be produced to be less robust- and cheaper.

We probably all have stories of items, perhaps tools that seem to last forever, no matter how much they are used & sometimes abused, they just seem to go on working… For me, that’s a pair of pin pulling pliers, my usual go too tool, when an awkward offending nail needs removing… Perhaps they are 70 years old, they belonged to my father, but they still work perfectly! I must admit, my past hearing aids have usually been robust, over the years, perhaps 6 failures, a few took maybe 10 years to do so… I think, human nature is our biggest obstacle with hearing loss, we chase that dream of better hearing, we greave for what we had, and what we lost, knowing full well, it’s gone, and never to return, apart from the added frustration of hearing aids! Unfortunately, our dreams do not coincide with reality…I am, without a shadow of doubt, a complete anorak, I love most technology, our house is a testament to that, my wife is the polar opposite of me, she dislikes technology with some venom! I believe, the hearing aid manufacturers upped the ante of “Planned Obsolescence” with the advent of rechargeable aids, I think they wanted to quicken the process, so we got rechargeable’s, now, I am all for rechargeable everything, as long as they give us easy access to swap out the batteries, but perhaps that defeats their purpose… Cheers Kev :wink:

Thanks for acquainting me with the “Anglo-Celtic” (I’ll try to be PC) slang term of anorak. I had only heard it used to mean a type of rain gear and was sure you typoed until I looked it up. In US we’d likely use geek or nerd (or maybe technophile?)

Edited

An “anorak trainspotter” refers to someone who is deeply and obsessively interested in trains, often to the point of wearing an anorak (a type of hooded jacket) while indulging in their hobby of trainspotting. Lol, That was me in my formative years.

In reply to @MDB

I think @MDB, I am slightly too old to consider myself as a geek/nerd :rofl:basically my interpretation of “An Anorak” is someone obsessed with technology, but it could be, an obsession with trains, as @BarryH rightly pointed out… Suffice to say, it reflects people who have an intense interest in whatever… Cheers Kev :wink:

In reply to @kevels55

They could build hearing aids with replaceable rechargeable batteries, Oticon did that once. However, there are probably other factors that made replaceable hearing aid batteries not desireable, such as the toxity of the battery.

In reply to @kevels55

@kevels55 said:

We probably all have stories of items, perhaps tools that seem to last forever

I’ve had a plastic 12inch ruler since my first job in 1980. It still measures the same now :grinning: . My mothers photo albums will be the only possession I have that’s older.

Regarding the main point, things have changed in the way people buy or repair things. I certainly don’t insure most electronics. If it breaks down, get another, unless it’s really expensive.

In reply to @user990

There is constant development of technology. In some time, rechargeables with much greater durability and capacity will come out. However, intermediary technologies are also needed to secure funding for R&D.

In reply to @PeterH

@PeterH said:

Regarding the main point, things have changed in the way people buy or repair things. I certainly don’t insure most electronics. If it breaks down, get another, unless it’s really expensive

I am the exact same as you @PeterH, I insure no electrical white goods whatsoever, absolutely nothing! If a tumble dryer, washing machine or fridge freezer breaks down, I buy another new one, I take the old one to a local recycle repair centre, they will either fix it, or use it for spare parts, then sell it on, they are a registered charity, they also train up, some of the local unemployed on electrical repair, and pay them in the process… Tis a win/win in my book… Cheers Kev :wink:

In reply to @user990

A far as I can see @user990, the toxicity of the battery, unless it’s being recycled, makes no difference, if the aid gets dumped into a landfill because of battery failure, it’s still toxic, if the battery is replaceable, the rest of the aid is still usable, till the next time…IMO, Soldering in batteries is primarily done to prevent the end user changing them, or making it extremely difficult to do so! As I recall, at one time, the vast majority of “Cell Phones” came with replaceable rechargeable batteries, I always carried a spare battery or 3, then they sealed them in, I beg to suggest, the primary reason for this was, to charge you for an expensive repair, or force you to buy a new cell phone? Cheers Kev :wink:

Edited

Well our local landfill doesn’t take zinc air hearing aid batteries, but they do that lithium batteries. I tells me something!

Phones With Removable Battery: Why Don't Smartphones Come With Removable...1

Unlike a concealed battery, a swappable battery needs an additional layer of shielding to protect from day to day impacts. This translates into extra thickness.

I have a Pixel 6a which has a battery issue that affects many Pixel 6a phones. As such, Google will either replace the battery for free, give me $100 for it, or give me a $150 credit on a new Pixel phone.

I think I’m going to take the $150 credit, since my phone will never come with a built-in assistant for .

At one time, the NHS took used Zinc air, I have no idea why, I just assumed they recycled them? Here in the UK Lithium disposals are a major problem, I believe recycling centres won’t touch them, because of the fire hazard, disposal of EV’s is therefore extremely difficult, large lithium batteries are therefore difficult to get shot of, I read somewhere, some underground car parks had banned EV’s parking, fire hazard was the main issue, also the intensity of the fire, and the toxicity of the fumes… Cheers Kev :wink:

Planned obsolescence is certainly a thing I today’s world, but I actually think that’s not the case with hearing aids.

From a manufacturing perspective, are difficult: they are tiny devices with sensitive high precision mechanical parts: microphones and speakers. They have to withstand sweat and moisture. People pull the receiver wires. Push the buttons too hard.
The electronic inside requires advanced manufacturing techniques handling flex PCBs, stacked chip dies and high density component placement. A lot can go wrong.

I think every manufacturer would be happy if their HAs last 5 years without too many RMAs. They’d be crazy if they designed anything into it that’s intended to break after a while.

Same for the batteries: technology that offers high energy density (required so that HAs can be small and last a whole day) and super high longevity simply doesn’t exist. You can have one or the other, but not both.

There are also good reasons for soldering the battery: a solder connection is simply more reliable vs having tabs pushing against the battery. It also saves space.

In reply to @user990

Everything in that article from 6 years ago, IMO it is pretty vague… Anyway, smart phone manufacturers will be required by law, to produce all cell phones with a disposable rechargeable battery in the European market by 2027… So obviously, it will happen, in most of Europe at least :wink:

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