Читать книгу Products that Last - Conny Bakker - Страница 28

products that last – 27

The first domain regards the ambiguous affinity of humans with their ‘stuff’. It depends on age and individual mentality, and even on situation and mood. Generally people crave for the new. They follow the latest fashions and acquire things for practical or symbolic reasons, or just for the fun of it. At the same time, however, they cherish the familiarity of objects and rituals, are interested in the past and may indulge in nostalgia. Irish comedian Dylan Moran said it simply, ‘there is too much of everything, and not enough.’

The second domain concerns business people and designers who seek to learn how to make a positive contribution by taking up new challenges. This is not so much a preference for developing and producing objects, but rather an inclination to observe, evolve and apply their skills, and to make a point.

The third and most important set of reasons emerges from awareness of the unintended side effects of what we have accomplished, as a rapidly expanding species that not so much adapts itself to living conditions, but rather continuously adapts its environment to what it figures it may need. Up until recently, little attention has been paid to the depletion of materials and the fact that so much is wasted as a result of the way production and consumption have developed.

Let us start, rather philosophically, with the domain of human idiosyncrasies. Life is not easy. After birth we need maintenance and care to survive for a considerable amount of time before we become old age pensioners and, finally, die. Without this care and maintenance we wouldn’t be able to survive for the number of decades we almost seem to take for granted nowadays. Maximising our lifespan in a state of reasonably good health requires a great deal of dedication and loads of stuff. Excluding basics like food, family and clothing, here, in random order, is a list of a number of human resources and implements that a certain female X requires to help maximise her lifespan:

Spectacles, nurses, scissors, buggies, band aids, painkillers, teachers, tweezers, blankets, oxygen, toothbrushes, ointments, internet access, sunglasses, crutches, counsellors, hearing aids, glasses of water, mouthguards, doctors, books, antibiotics, beds, thera-pists, splints, mobile phones, sneakers, dentures, pads, soap, dentists, walking sticks, serum, handkerchiefs, plaster, stairlifts and towels. This list illustrates that we consider it appropriate and go out of our way to single-mindedly protect, maintain and repair our bodies and minds.

Our attitude towards products is far more ambiguous. Care is not obvious. On the one hand, we may feel it is

A strong rationale underlies the extension of the lifespan of a product. There are three domains where we can find arguments in favour of long-life products. These stem from human characteristics and the observation that the reduction of the ongoing product lifespan collides with the increasing scarcity of raw materials.

Loads of reasons

Life expectancy at birth in the UK, 1930-2011, female (green) and male (red) Source: Office for National Statistics, UK.

Lamps, compact fluorescent (CFL)

Vacuum cleaners

Wash dryers and centrifuges

Refrigerators

Dishwashers

Small IT and accessories

Tools

Small toys

Mobile phones

Washing machines

Laptop PCs

Hot water and coffee

Printing and imaging equipment

Microwaves

Small consumer electronics and accessories