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Is it ethical for companies to manufacture products that easily break, if they have the ability to make them less breakable? (sh.itjust.works)

submitted 22 hours ago* (last edited 22 hours ago) by ReconciliationTime22128@sh.itjust.works to c/asklemmy@lemmy.world

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Hopefully I’ve worded the question right.

I was once told (I could never verify if it was true) that a crocs company once almost went bankrupt after they made their crocs practically indestructible. Whilst the story was most likely bullshit, it makes me wonder: if a company can make a product that is practically indestructible, is it ethical for them not to make them indestructible, so people will buy more from them?

The way I look at it is, on one hand, I feel like they should make products to the highest quality if they can so that the consumer has to spend less money and that less is wasted, but at the same time if it leads to the company going bankrupt, what of the workers and their families? So I can’t decide, what do you think?

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[-] Omgpwnies@lemmy.world 2 points 3 hours ago

There's also aesthetics and other factors. Most people don't want the super-rugged phones with the rubberized bits and so on.

Another thing to consider is sometimes people don't want to (or can't) spend top dollar on something that will last forever. For example, if I'm new into a hobby, I'm not going to go out and buy the absolute best out there. I'll usually shoot for somewhere in between "not shit" and "fairly decent" depending on what it is. If I get good enough and want to upgrade, then at that point I can look at the higher-end stuff and I'll have the bonus of now knowing what properties I need to look for. If the cheaper equipment is still working I can re-sell or donate it. If not, maybe I'll try to fix/mod it before tossing.

[-] FishFace@piefed.social 1 points 3 hours ago

I generally believe most of the unrepairability we see in tech is coming from consumer preferences more than planned obsolescence. Thin, waterproof phones are inherently hard to repair. I'm sure obsolescence is a factor that motivates companies in that direction too, but reputation around longevity does influence purchasing decisions, so it's not something which they can do "for free" as it were. Making phones thin and light, on the other hand, is positive for sales.

this post was submitted on 22 Sep 2026

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