Assessing Potential Environmental Benefits of Planned Product Obsolescence Based on Individual User Behaviour by Life Cycle Assessment and Scenario Analysis

In general perception, planned obsolescence of consumer products is mainly seen as a marketing strategy, boosting sales numbers to the detriment of the environment. Yet, planned obsolescence can also be used to minimize environmental impacts of product use, for example when a more energy efficient successor product becomes available and power users could minimize the overall impacts by switching to the new product. A key requirement for the mitigation of environmental impacts is the alignment of technical specifications of a product with the individual user behaviour. The Stuttgart models of Mass Personalization provide a methodological framework for the product creation and a methodological approach for the personalization process taking the individual user into account by joining the product and the user model. In this study an approach to identify the individual environmental obsolescence point is described using scenario analysis combined with Life Cycle Assessment. The environmental impacts for the life cycle of a consumer product can be assessed and in combination with the individual user behaviour and the specific triggers for obsolescence, the ideal lifetime of the products regarding the environmental impacts can be determined. For the results to lead to tangible action they need to be communicated effectively. Exemplary communication strategies for the product developer via interactive dashboards and for the end user via personalized messages are presented.