ICM - Leeds Design Agency

Last Thursday night I sat down in front of the television after a long day at work craving the visual-bubblegum of early evening entertainment only to find that my television set wouldn’t switch on.

Just a few months outside the extended three-year warranty, the power unit has failed and the set (being an old ‘tube’ type) is beyond economic repair. So it’s off the local facilities who thankfully have an area for WEEE eligible items.

I feel a little frustrated at the times we’re living in; a generation where resources are becoming ever-more limited, but our consumer needs are becoming increasingly unlimited. Shouldn’t the products we truly desire have longevity as one of their main features?

Take the humble laptop for example; we all want to be seen on the train with the latest model with almost total disregard for the product’s lifespan or the less-than eco-friendly practices that went into producing the plastic case, the screen and so on…

Thankfully there is a shift in trends – Apple’s latest Macbook – To create the aluminum case, engineers take a sheet of aluminum 15mm thick and machine away 90% of its mass. They then regrind and smelt the leftovers up to 20 times to make 20 more notebooks. A small step towards a more sustainable product, the end product is beautiful and solid as a rock. It is these qualities that make the product a potential hand-me-down.

Howies, the clothing manufacturer, have taken this one step further. I recently purchased a lightweight rain jacket made from 50% recycled polyester. When I’ve finished with it Howies would like me to send it back to become a new jacket.

Going further still they now produce the Hand-Me-Down jacket where you are actively encourage to pass it on.

To me, these are the true desirable products. Looking for a new television I was bombarded by HD-ready, Full-HD, 100Hz, 1080p, rich blacks, attractive styling, 24fps and so-on. Nothing (other than power consumption figures) hinted at the product’s longevity. It’s easy to say ‘if the product lasts longer, we won’t sell as many’ but maybe this a gamble more manufacturers are going to have to start making – become more sustainable, be more desirable.