Dieter Rams designed products to last, is horrified how we throw things away

Re:Dieter Rams designed products to last, is horrified how w... by jkestner on Saturday April 06, 2019 @05:31PM (#19593122)

#notallmedicalprofessionals, says my SO. Needles get thrown because they're cheap, and expensive instruments get sterilized. Boiling will kill the few things that can survive on stainless steel, like the virii that cause hepatitis.

But we don't need to nitpick one tree, and miss the forest of products can be designed better for reuse. The central issue in my mind is that companies are usually incentivized for obsolescence.

You have exceptions like Patagonia with strong DNA for societal good, but companies generally need some extrinsic motivation. What could be effective here? I can see service models working, as the company providing hardware would want longevity to save costs, but I don't want my stuff's lifespan to be connected to its manufacturer.

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:Dieter Rams designed products to last, is horrified how w... by blattimwind on Saturday April 06, 2019 @08:47PM (#19594029)

Surgery tools are a common application for ultrasonic cleaners, because "only an ultrasonic cleaner actually gets in all the small nooks and crannies of a complex instruments and removes blood and tissue from those" (or words to that effect).

[ Parent | on HN ]