The law defines planned obsolescence as “the set of techniques by which a marketer aims to deliberately reduce the lifespan of a product in order to increase its replacement rate. "
There are different types of planned obsolescence including:
• Technical obsolescence;
• Aesthetic obsolescence;
• Software obsolescence.
Bernard London theorized in 1932 planned obsolescence as a tool to boost a faltering economic model.

According to him, economic growth is made possible by stimulating production as well as consumption.

Indeed, the idea would be that the more we consume, the more companies must produce and therefore hire.
According to the association Stop programmed obsolescence (HOP) "our economic and social model is based on overconsumption, which must be constantly renewed".
Planned obsolescence as known feeds overconsumption as well as overproduction. It contributes to the increase in waste, the intensification of pollution as well as the increase in the waste of raw materials and energy.


Since 2015, planned obsolescence has been considered a crime and is punishable by law, and appliance manufacturers must display the availability of spare parts on their products to fight against planned obsolescence.
To help consumers, from January 1, 2021, all electronics and appliances will have a "repairability index", calculated according to five criteria: the provision of detailed documentation by the manufacturer, the level of disassembly and the reassembly of the device, the availability of spare parts as well as the relationship between the purchase price of the most expensive spare part and the purchase price of the original product. This will take the form of a score ranging from 1 to 10. What better way to inform consumers about the durability of the product they are about to buy. On the legal level, for five years, the planned obsolescence constitutes an offense, punishable by a fine of 300,000 euros and up to two years in prison.

Home appliance manufacturers are now required to post the availability of spare parts. But environmental associations consider the measure insufficient. "We must go further by forcing manufacturers to keep spare parts longer and to design products so that they are repairable", underlines Marine Foulon, communications manager for Zero Waste France.

This whole approach seems to improve things because according to the latest Fnac-Darty after-sales service barometer, the lifespan of devices is increasing overall, and especially since they are more easily repairable. "There are manufacturers who are starting to think about how to design the product differently. Before, for example, we had a lot of computers with soldered batteries. Now more and more have screws and you can easily replace them. the battery ", underlines Régis Koenig, responsible for Fnac Darty service policy.