Planned obsolescence and its influence on purchasing behaviour

Planned obsolescence consists of artificially limiting the useful life of products in order to promote their replacement sooner than would be expected. This concept is repeatedly practised by many companies which may not be aware that its repercussions on consumer purchasing behaviour can be very negative. But are consumers aware of the reality of planned obsolescence? If they are confronted with this reality will consumers be willing to punish these companies? What repercussions will this concept have in practice on consumer purchasing behaviour? All these issues are very sensitive and will be addressed in this study on four levels: (1) the repercussions of planned obsolescence on consumer behaviour; (2) the ethical issues that arise when talking about planned obsolescence; (3) the influence of planned obsolescence on environmental sustainability; (4) the troubled relationship between planned obsolescence and innovation.