An article appeared in the International Journal of Green Economics, by Peter Lang, a green consultant, an ex-advisor to the Green Deputy Mayor of London and co-founder of the charitable trust Green and Away, advocates that sustainability will only be attained by encouraging the development of higher quality goods and arranging for the removal of substandard products.
According to Lang, without making adequate changes in regulation and taxation towards inferior products it will be difficult to achieve a cultural shift towards the buying of quality products that serve for a longer period, repaired easily and continue to retain their value even when they are sold in the second-hand market. He suggests for doing away with the production of electrical products, household goods, kitchenware and furniture that are either offered in plastic cases without screws or do not allow to open and service them under the health and safety pretexts to prevent their premature disposal.
He proposes for modifications in legislations that are ethically and monetarily beneficial and persuade the consumers to choose quality products and push the producers to improve the quality of their goods. He added that such attempts will strengthen the present fit for purpose laws that defends the consumers. He considers that the products with longer service life or with a label of maximum life expectancy will allow the consumers to take more knowledgeable decisions in their purchases.
According to him, though the suggested changes seem to be callous, they will bring in relief from the growing level of producing waste products, and assist the consumers to choose quality and long lasting products that can be repaired easily to cut down the requirement of waste disposal facilities, energy and raw materials.
Source: http://www.inderscience.com