The durability of consumer durables
作者:
Tim Cooper,
期刊:
Business Strategy and the Environment
(WILEY Available online 1994)
卷期:
Volume 3,
issue 1
页码: 23-30
ISSN:0964-4733
年代: 1994
DOI:10.1002/bse.3280030103
出版商: John Wiley&Sons, Ltd
数据来源: WILEY
摘要:
AbstractThe life span of a product is a key component in assessing its environmental impact. Until very recently, however, product durability was far from prominent in the environmental debate. This has begun to change due to mounting concern about waste, the prospect of producer ‘take back’ schemes and the importance of quality in highly competitive international markets. This has led to product durability emerging on the business and environment agenda.This paper explores the significance of product life spans and identifies currently available data on the life‐span of consumer durables. It defines product life and argues that, from an environmental perspective, optimum product life, rather than maximum product life should be the goal.It suggests that potential advantages to businesses of manufacturing and retailing products with longer life spans include improved environmental foresight (i.e. a greater responsiveness to new social trends, changes in consumer behaviour and tighter government regulations), an enhanced reputation for quality, greater potential market share and increased customer loyalty.Addressing claims that manufacturers deliberately make products with the intention that they should have life spans below the known technical potential, the paper identifies some of the influences upon manufacturers which encourage shorter product life spans. Finally, some means by which longer life products might be encouraged are pro
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