The discussion on products and sustainability is not simply philosophical and detached from real life. It is an ongoing, highly relevant debate. Consumption patterns are changing, with an increasing number of products entering markets.
Today, consumers purchase products, but to what extent do they think about their use from a sustainability perspective? Long life, low maintenance, high efficiency, reliability, possibility to repair and reuse: some of us associate such aspects with products that we consider as sustainable.
However, consumers also put weight on other aspects such as design or functionality which they may consider to be more relevant. Manufacturers on the other hand, are increasingly producing products with a built-in obsolescence, that can neither be maintained nor repaired.