As I started to write this, I was pretty impressed with myself because my thinking about product quality was aligning with Ben Franklin’s; then reality crashed in. As often happens, my good idea was not so unique.
In researching what I thought was “my” idea, I found fascinating research from Dr. Tim Cooper of the U.K. In his work, he advocates for sustainable consumption: longer product lifecycles through improved quality, durability, and maintenance, including repair, upgrading, and reuse. He describes examples of products that last longer. The focus moves from cheap prices, rapid consumption, replacement, and our throwaway culture toward increased quality, durability, longevity, and being considerate of the environment.
Tim describes research done by
The benefits of quality and slower consumption come in many forms: reductions in manufacturing materials and chemicals, packaging, transportation, water, energy used in both manufacturing and transportation, and waste in landfills and elsewhere.
From the U.K. to the U.S.
Here in the U.S., we are seeing several major companies and brands adopting new, broader, more effective approaches to their green efforts.
Patagonia received a lot of media attention two years ago with their “Please don’t buy this jacket” ad. (Interestingly, this ad resulted in increased sales of new jackets.) Still, the thought was a good one: buy a quality jacket that will be effective at keeping you warm and dry and, at the same time, will last as long as several cheap ones. Think of the raw materials preserved, the transportation reductions, and the energy savings at each step in the value chain, all the way through to the end consumer.
In Marketing Week, European marketing director Jonathan Petty said, “We’re about making great quality products that are designed to last, so we have a lifetime warranty on our products.” And Patagonia goes further, encouraging people to sign up to their Common Threads Initiative and commit to buy only what they need, repair gear that breaks (with Patagonia’s help if necessary), and reuse or recycle the rest (you can return gear or sell it on the e-Bay/Patagonia second-hand site.)
It all worked – very well. Sales have increased in both 2012 and 2013 for Patagonia, a private company, they are opening more new stores, and revenues are expected to increase 15% annually.
Electronics, evolution, and e-waste
Samsung is driving a new trend in electronics. Their Smart Evolution technology allows you to plug a new module that updates software and adds functionality into an existing television without replacing the whole television.
For now, it’s only available on the high-end models and, according to CNET, it is fairly expensive with niche appeal. The 2013 module includes upgrades to a quad core processor, the new 2013 Smart Hub interface, Smart Interaction, and the Smart Touch Remote. Without a doubt, the concept of electronics evolving through plug-in modules to extend their lives is a good idea for consumers and for the planet.
This type of innovation likely contributed to Samsung’s continued market share lead in global flat-screen TVs, in contrast to troubles for
Similarly, a company called Phonebloks is working on a concept for a smartphone that may be useful for a lifetime (or at least as long as several typical current phones.) Called by some the “Lego” of smartphones, it is one of several concepts being developed with a building blocks approach to assemble modules with different functions.
With Phonebloks, the bloks allow a buyer to personalize a phone by upgrading only one component – such as a better camera, larger memory, or a longer-life battery – and each blok can later be upgraded as technology advances or replaced if it goes bad. No doubt the current iteration lacks the design “wow” of the iPhone, but it may significantly reduce e-waste from phones. That is important because each year we produce an estimated 20-50 million tons of global e-waste from phones and other sources, according to Greenpeace.
Slowing Consumption, Increasing Convenience
Even consumables companies are focusing on longevity. Glad’s ForceFlex trash bags are claimed to stretch to accommodate more trash, thereby reducing the number of bags needed and the plastic that goes into them. Ads tout that households can use one less bag each month. And effectiveness is not compromised; Glad Forceflex bags have come out on top in trash bag comparisons in both Real Simple and Consumer Reports.
Other advertising is cropping up with similar messages. Energizer’s Ultimate Lithium batteries are claimed to last up to nine times longer than other batteries in digital cameras. Fewer battery replacements translates to less chemicals, transportation, packaging, and energy used (not to mention fewer missed photo ops due to dead batteries.)
Though the batteries cost more initially, the lifespan improvement more than compensates. In several tests, including those of ConsumerReports.org, the Energizer Ultimate Lithium batteries lasted longer than other, primarily alkaline, batteries. Perhaps this is part of Energizer’s strategy to combat Duracell’s dominance of alkaline batteries. There is additional pressure on the overall disposable battery category, which is shrinking due to the shift to rechargeables in devices such as tablets, smartphones, and even many cameras.
Making Second Hand Cool
Recently, Mashable reported on
IKEA’s concern for the planet shows in their comprehensive sustainability plan for the overall company, including wood, cotton, energy, and other inputs. That concern, combined with great style and good value, has made IKEA number one among furniture retailers with 7% of consumers choosing IKEA as the store shopped most often for furniture purchases, according to a September 2013 Prosper Insights and Analytics survey. IKEA also ranks 26th in Interbrand’s overall list of the 2013 Best Global Brands and is the top furniture brand.
As more brands and companies realize the benefits of going far beyond recycling, increasing product quality, and lengthening product lifespans, they win, and consumers and the planet win. It comes back to Ben’s sentiment: quality really does trump low price.
Is sustainability good for business? How do you think about products and their useful lives? Is sustainability a consideration? Is repair, upgrading, and reuse a consideration?
