مجلة طبنـــة للدراسات العلمية الأكاديمية
Volume 8, Numéro 2, Pages 2066-2075
2025-12-19
Consumer Protection From Planned Obsolescence
Authors : Reffaf Lakhdar .
Abstract
No party can claim that products can last forever or that their use can continue for an unlimited period of time; every product has an expected lifespan, usually determined by the nature of the materials used in its manufacture or by how it is used. In this context, replacing products once their useful life naturally ends does not pose any problem. However, the real issue arises when this deterioration is intentional and deliberate on the part of the manufacturer. This occurs when a specific lifespan is predetermined, or when the product is programmed to stop working at a certain date without the consumer’s knowledge. Such practices also appear when products are made difficult to repair—either by not providing spare parts or by making the cost of repair higher than the cost of buying a new product—all for commercial purposes that benefit manufacturers at the expense of consumers. These practices are known as “planned obsolescence.” The spread of such conduct, and the financial burden and environmental harm it causes due to increasing waste, highlights the need to strengthen consumer protection. This requires establishing clear legal frameworks that oblige manufacturers to be transparent, provide accurate information about the lifespan of products, ensure their repairability, and make spare parts available for reasonable periods, in addition to deterring all forms of fraud and manipulation aimed at deliberately shortening product life. Thus, combating planned obsolescence does not only protect consumers economically, but also strengthens market trust, promotes fair competition, and protects the environment from the harmful impact of unethical consumer-goods practices.
Keywords
Consumer protection ; planned obsolescence ; Products
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