ABSTRACT
The throwaway culture that is prevalent across much of the industrialized world requires attention and yet the kind of radical policy measures necessary to transform it have rarely been studied in depth, let alone introduced by governments. Until now it has evidently been politically expedient for governments to succumb to the electorate's apparent desire for more (and newer) consumer goods. As sustainable consumption rises up the political agenda, this chapter makes the case for public policy intervention to optimize product life-spans based on potential benefits to the economy, the environment and consumer satisfaction. A framework within which to assess specific measures to encourage longer lasting products is presented, structuring discussion around the stages at which policy might be most effective, the relative merits of using incentives or penalties, the different types of policy instruments and the option of generic, as distinct from product-specific, policies. Policies advocated by past and present critics of planned obsolescence are identified and a range of potential regulatory, market-based and voluntary measures to encourage longer lasting products are proposed.
