The Engineered Expiration – Part 1: How Designed Decay Became the Core Business Model
Planned Obsolescence 1 The Engineered Expiration – Part 1: How Designed Decay Became the Core Business Model 2 The Engineered Expiration – Part 2: Software Lock-Ins and the Digital Decay of Connected Devices 3 The Engineered Expiration – Part 3: Dismantling the Fix-It Culture Through Planned Repair Prevention 4 The Engineered Expiration – Part 4: From Corporate Profit to Corporate Crime: The Environmental Cost of Artificial Limits 5 The Engineered Expiration – Part 5: The Regulatory Tide: Right to Repair and the Global Push for Longevity ← Series Home The Cartel that Codified the Concept of Consumption In December 1924, a clandestine agreement was reached by the world’s largest light bulb manufacturers, including Philips, General Electric, Osram, and Compagnie des Lampes. This group, known historically as the Phoebus Cartel, moved deliberately to limit the lifespan of their products. Before the cartel, the incandescent light bulbs invented by Thomas Edison and Adolphe Chaillet were intended to last multiple decades. The established market standard of 2,500 burning hours was systematically reduced to just 1,000 hours by 1940. This calculated decision marked the emergence of what would become known as planned obsolescence. ...