Strategies against obsolescence : ensuring a minimum product lifetime and improving product service life as well as consumer information / Umweltbundesamt, German Environment Agency ; authors: lead authors: Dr. Ines Oehme and Anett Jacob ; co-authors: Lisa Cerny, Matthias Fabian, Michael Golde, Susann Krause, Christian Löwe, Herwig Unnerstall ; translation: Ute Bohnsack

Abstract

Studies on behalf of the German Environment Agency have shown, that most electrical appliances are being used for a decreasing amount of time than 10 years ago. Products that are replaced before they reached optimal product life-time or usage time (so-called obsolescence), lead to an increasing loss of resources and volume of waste. For this reason the German Environment Agency recognizes the need for action and has developed recommendations in a position paper on the basis of these studies.