Our whole economy is based on planned obsolescence

Repair and Service Center R.U.S.Z
A Social Economy Enterprise Initiates Changes in Policy
Sepp Eisenriegler, CEO
Overview
1. Specific kind of business: WISE and part of Social Economy
2. Handling specific problems: UNU/StEP-data
3. Specific kind of networking: March through the (EU-) Institutions
4. R.U.S.Z: A specific icebreaker
5. Success factors
6. To Do´s
7. Time left? – Examples of planned obsolescence
Specific kind of business:
WISE and part of Social Economy
Based on market failure
• 1998: no serious repair services
• Today: planned obsolescence
Based on policy failure
• High labour costs for services
• Ù prices of new EEE do not speak the environmental and social truth
No profits for this kind of private enterprise
Added value for society – environmentally, socially and economically
• Saving ressources by increase of durability of EEE and ReUse of WEEE
• Longterm unemployed get professional training and unlimited work contracts
• added value of repair services stays in the region, added value of new
products go abroad
Handling specific problems: UNU/StEP-data
WEEE waste stream: traditionally the fastest growing waste stream
• 2012: 49 Mio tonnes of WEEE per year worldwide (7kg/capita/year)
• 2017: 65,4 (estimation of UNU, Bonn) => 33% growth
The big three waste makers per capita and year (StEP initiative)
• USA:
29,8 kg
• Austria:
25,3 kg
• Germany:
23,2 kg
The big two producers per country and year (StEP initiative)
• China:
11 Mio. tons
• USA:
10 Mio. tons
Specific kind of networking: March through the
institutions
1998: founding of R.U.S.Z – local and regional levels
1999: founding of RepairNetWork Vienna – local and regional levels
1999: founding of RREUSE (R.U.S.Z founding member) – EU level
2004: founding of RepaNet Austria – Austrian (member states) level
⇒ definition of local needs for repair/ReUse and lobbying at MS level
⇒ lobbying the waste legislation at EU level (WEEE, Waste Framework directives)
⇒ harvesting the lobbying successes at MS level
⇒ ReUse platform in the Austrian Life Ministry
⇒ WFD Art. 11
⇒ WEEE Recast: accredited ReUse centers get access to the WEEE of
retailers (not yet implemented)
R.U.S.Z – a specific icebreaker
⇒ R.U.S.Z spin off D.R.Z – 1st manual treatment center for WEEE in Austria
⇒ tuning of old washing machines – energy efficiency meets resource efficiency
⇒ energy counselling of low income households to prevent energy poverty
⇒ donation program to get access to old washing machines from private households
⇒ media campaign against planned obsolescence
⇒ 1st professional repair cafe as a platform against planned obsolescence
⇒ CSR-Repair – sponsoring of employment of longterm unemployed
⇒ update of the R.U.S.Z based Austrian standard ONR 192102 „Ecodesign Label for
durable, repairable EEE“ – boycotted by the manufacturers
⇒ White List for durable, repairable EEE, promoted together with Austrian consumer
protection organisations, Austrian Life Ministry, Austrian Energy Agency, Austrian
Standards Institute
⇒ 2014: white goods
⇒ 2015: consumer electronics
Success Factors
⇒ support of local, regional, federal policy
⇒ cooperation with specific scientists (alternative economy, global warming,
labour, resouces, waste, …)
⇒ good contacts to the media
⇒ VIPs as key customers
⇒ use of social media
www.facebook.com/rusz.at
www.youtube.com/reparaturundservice
www.twitter.com/RUSZ_Reparatur
www.soundcloud.com/r-u-s-z
⇒ awards
To Do´s
⇒ lower labour costs! Increase resource costs!
⇒ EU standard for durable, repairable products
⇒ resource efficiency labelling within the energy efficiency label
⇒ resource efficiency regulations into the new Ecodesign Directive
⇒ recycling society AND leasing society
⇒ sustainable consumption: Product Service Systems plus Circular AND Sharing
Economies
⇒ taxes on throw away products (Zac Goldsmith)
⇒ regulation of sales promotion/advertising
Ù psychological obsolescence
PLANNED OBSOLESCENCE
„We buy products we don´t need, with money we don´t have, to impress
people we don´t like!“
„Our big job is to hasten obsolescence“ (Harley Earl, Manager of GM 1920s)
„Sloan did his utmost to find new ways to decrease durability and increase
obsolescence.“ (Slade, S. 43)
„An article that does not wear out is a tragedy for business” (US-Advertising
magazine 1928)
„Our whole economy is based on planned obsolescence” (Leading US
designing engineer Brooks Stevens,1958)
„Maximum sales volume demands the cheapest construction for the briefest
interval the buying public will tolerate.“ (Vance Packard 1960)
PLANNED OBSOLESCENCE
Technical designing engineers: product lifecycle management programs allow to
determine the planned useful life of products.
Examples:
Light bulbs: working life halved
Plastic gear in handheld electric mixers
Embedded meters (counters) in printers
PLANNED OBSOLESCENCE
Designed to break – Purchasing for the waste dump
e.g.: throw away washing machine
Ball-bearings get ruined because of underdesigned (weak) shock absorbers
throw away washing machine
<=>
high end WM
Change of ball-bearings impossible <=>
Change of ball-bearings easily done
PLANNED OBSOLESCENCE
Designed to break – Purchasing for the waste dump
e.g.: consumer electronics, Flat TVs
Most common default: Elkos
underdesigned (weak) capacitors get ruined because of ambient temperature
suitable capacitors would cost 1 Cent more
PLANNED OBSOLESCENCE
„It is unethical and not at all sustainable to waste resources for
maximising profits by selling products with decreasing life spans!“
Sepp Eisenriegler MAS, MBA
Geschäftsführer des Reparatur- und Service-Zentrums R.U.S.Z
ZVR-Zahl 400148313, FN 360557 g
Mobile: +43 664 263 0991
[email protected]
www.rusz.at
www.facebook.com/rusz.at
www.youtube.com/reparaturundservice
www.twitter.com/RUSZ_Reparatur
www.soundcloud.com/r-u-s-z

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