Planned Obsolescence
Built-In Obsolescence
A policy of planning or designing a product with an artificially limited useful life, so it will become obsolete (that is, unfashionable or no longer functional) after a certain period of time.
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Origin
The origin of the term is uncertain, but is believed to have been first used by the American industrial designer Brooks Stevens in the 1950s, and has since become a recognized concept in business, economics, and consumer culture. The practice of planned obsolescence is believed to have originated in the 1920s, when manufacturers began designing products with replaceable parts, but it became more widespread in the post-war period with the rise of consumer culture and mass production. The term has since been used to describe a variety of strategies for managing product lifecycles, from software updates to fast fashion, and has been the subject of debate and criticism over issues of sustainability, waste, and consumer rights.