A historian unpacks the origins of our plastic addiction

Re:A historian unpacks the origins of our plastic addiction by cr1895 on Friday June 21, 2019 @10:28AM (#20242763)

>Look at something like the handle on a paint roller. A wooden handle will probably last a lifetime, plastic handle - with carefully measured amount of plastic - can be designed to break the second time you use it: At which point we go to the shop and buy another cheap piece of crap that will do the same.

I'm skeptical of this, at least to this extent. What company is going to invest the engineering resources to reliably design a particular failure mode in something as inconsequential and cheap as a paint roller?

It's probably far more mundane. Aim to reduce cost/increase profit > use less materials, or use cheaper materials, or use a cheaper-to-make design.

>but what capitalist company wants to make goods that last a lifetime

Serious question?

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Re:A historian unpacks the origins of our plastic addiction by jessaustin on Friday June 21, 2019 @10:54AM (#20243003)

Rather than questioning its seriousness, one could have answered the question by providing an example of such a firm. To effectively question its seriousness, one could have provided many examples.

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Re:A historian unpacks the origins of our plastic addiction by pbhjpbhj on Friday June 21, 2019 @03:18PM (#20245531)

I've heard of a couple of examples of companies that will replace goods at any age, but they don't appear to be any good as capitalist entities as they're not profiting rich owners to the optimum extent.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/30sand40s/32-brands-with-lif...

for example. But then The North Face is on there, and I'd never heard that offered a lifetime warranty (my jacket lost its waterproofness and needed replacing), and they also only give 1 year warranty on several items (half the statutory warranty in the EU).

IIRC Dr.Martens limit their free repairs to a particular sub group of their boots?

Could you give examples of companies with lifetime warranties that you consider successful examples of capitalism? I'd guess to qualify they'd at a minimum have public share ownership.

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Re:A historian unpacks the origins of our plastic addiction by cr1895 on Saturday June 22, 2019 @06:50AM (#20248965)

You're putting a lot of strange qualifications on whether you consider a company to be a capitalist entity. Why must it be publicly traded? Why must "rich owners" profit to the optimum extent (and how do you quantify that)?

I don't agree with your criteria. And asking for "lifetime" warranties is not what you originally claimed.

But, looking around at some of the "highly durable" objects I have that were made by profit-seeking companies:

- books

- furniture (Møller teak chairs from the 60s)

- All-Clad pans, Le Creuset enamel dutch oven

- Wüsthof chef's knife

- Barbour waxed cotton jacket

- Iron Heart denim

- Good, repairable shoes (Crockett & Jones, Oakstreet Bootmakers)

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