null
Sustainable manufacturing

Sustainable manufacturing

Posted by John on 24th Aug 2020

Hi back again,

In the modern world when you go looking for a household product there are limited choices. Most people go to the big department home stores etc. The products from these stores are ok. They are designed with a lifespan (shorter rather than longer). They are designed to fail, outside the warrant period. Current mass manufacturing requires a constant order stream, big box stores love these products, they turn these products over every couple of weeks, no customers, no profit. Municipalities/Councils love these shops for their real estate tax base. Meanwhile these worn out, broken, failed products end up in the recycling or landfills as garbage/rubbish.

The other end of the spectrum is the specialty shop usually found in inner cities. High end, fashionable and expensive, but well built products. Online is an option where you usually get all the options.

Governments are caught in a catch 22 situation, they speak of environmental prowess but are hooked on the money stream, jobs that big box stores produce. There is a local/state/value added tax on every product sold.

For a sustainable world we cannot be manufacturing products that do not have an acceptable lifespan.

For a small price increase (say 10%), products could be engineered to last. Think about how many times you have bought a certain product.

Hope I didnt go off the deep end but this debate needs to happen.

All the best,
John.