What if some things were designed to be sustainably short-lived?

Summary

The article advocates for sustainable planned obsolescence, suggesting that designing some products to be short-lived and environmentally friendly can cater to human desires for novelty without harming the planet.

Abstract

The concept of sustainable planned obsolescence is presented as a strategy to reconcile human desires for novelty with environmental sustainability. The author uses the metaphor of the "Queen of the Night" cactus, which blooms for only one night, to illustrate the beauty of transient experiences and objects. Emphasizing that the most sustainable behavior is to reduce consumption and invest in long-lasting items, the author acknowledges the reality that people are often drawn to trendy, short-lived products. The article proposes that by creating products that naturally deteriorate or enrich the soil when disposed of, designers can embrace the human need for occasional impulsive consumption in a sustainable way. It suggests a dual design approach: core products that are durable and aesthetically sustainable, complemented by short-lived items that add variety. The article calls for a balance between overconsumption and nihilistic refusal, arguing that sustainable design can provide both fleeting aesthetic pleasures and long-term satisfaction.

Opinions

Sustainable consumption should be balanced with the human need for variety and aesthetic pleasure.
Short-lived products should be designed with materials that either decompose harmlessly or provide nutrients to the environment.
A sustainable design strategy should include both durable core products and temporary, decorative items that can be sustainably disposed of.
Embracing sustainable planned obsolescence is seen as a more effective and humane approach to promoting sustainable habits than admonishing consumers.
Designers have a role in encouraging sustainable consumer behavior by creating products that are either long-lasting or intentionally short-lived but eco-friendly.
The article suggests that sustainable design can cater to the desire for transient, flamboyant, and garnish experiences without contributing to waste and environmental degradation.

How to work with sustainable planned obsolescence.

I saw this amazing cactus with huge fragrant flowers the other night when I was going for an evening stroll, and I could immediately sense that it was something extraordinary. When I got home, I did a bit of research and I found out that the cactus is called “The Queen of the Night.” It appears to be a rare kind of orchid-cactus that only blossoms one night a year, after which it withers. I felt fortunate to have experienced its short-lived fragrant flowers. I realised that this amazing plant is the perfect metaphor for the short-lived sustainable design-object.

The most sustainable behavior is to reduce consumption radically and to only buy things that are durable and continuously aesthetically nourishing. However, the reality is that sometimes we get blown away by an intriguing, trendy thing that isn’t meant to last forever, and we buy it and discard it after a short while.

Maybe the most sustainable design strategy is to embrace that some things are not meant to last forever. Short-lived products should ideally be made out of materials that deteriorate a little bit every time they are worn or used until they finally disappear.

Or maybe short-lived products could be made of materials that when thrown in soil vanish and even provide the ground with nutrition.

Or perhaps they could be like the aromatic “Queen of the Night” and wither after just one night.

By embracing the human need to be seduced and to sometimes act impulsively and “irresponsibly,” making irresponsible behavior sustainable might be a more humane way of encouraging sustainable habits than pointing fingers and acting like the sustainability police. Furthermore, it is likely a much more effective way.

Ideally, we would all be wearing the same garments every single day of the year, and mend these and take care of them and only replace them when they fall apart.

Ideally, we would buy one sofa and one table in a lifetime, but we don’t. Now, this might be either because the long-term options we have are unmendable, because they decay unaesthetically and cannot continuously provide us with aesthetic nourishment, or because they are designed to be overly bland and neutral in order to fit in to multiple contexts and segments making them too boring to spice up our daily lives.

Designers can encourage sustainable consumer behavior in two ways:

by creating core products that are long lasting, in the sense that they are hard-wearing, alterable, and aesthetically sustainable

by designing fleeting, colourful short-lived items as additions to these core-items.

These two ways are meant as correlative, not as incompatible. Designing for short product-life is a way of avoiding—or at least minimising—things perceived as obsolete long before their “expiration date” ending up in landfills or being downcycled for some insignificant purpose.

Sustainable planned obsolescence involves working with perishable materials or with inherent recyclability.

When it comes to sustainable living, overconsumption and a buy-and-throw-away mentality is at the one end of the scale of the golden mean, whereas nihilistic refusal and turning away from society altogether is at the other end.

A balance is needed. Objects that can satisfy our human need for transient, flamboyant, garnish and long-term nourishing aesthetic experiences are needed. Getting swept away by seductive patterns, colours, or shapes — potentially only providing a short-term pleasure meant for situational decoration — is a part of being human.

Unfortunately, designing short-term decor in a sustainable manner is not common practice. But the beauty is that this poses an intriguing challenge for the sustainable designer.