"Is France Making Planned Obsolescence Obsolete?"
Thanks to a young environmentalist named Laetitia Vasseur, France became the world's first nation to legislate against planned obsolescence. How did she do it? And can her achievement spread?
Dear Friends,
In 2017, an idealistic and relatively unknown French activist sued tech behemoth Apple, Inc., over its “alleged” practice of designing iPhones to fail after just a few years. She wasn’t the first environmentalist to challenge Apple—but when she won, it became big news. Since that watershed moment, Laetitia Vasseur has become a formidable force in the movement against planned obsolescence in her home country, founding her own NGO (non-governmental organization) and orchestrating campaigns that led the French government to essentially ban planned obsolescence—the first nation in the world to do so.
In this week’s featured story, French journalist Yann Perreau has spent months digging into this story. And this week he delivers a remarkable profile of the young heroine behind France's groundbreaking legislation. In his story, Perreau considers the implications of Vasseur’s work for a world seeking a less wasteful path forward. What tactics did she employ to achieve this milestone? What’s she focused on next? And, perhaps most important, how can other nations follow in France’s footsteps toward a more sustainable future?
I hope you’ll enjoy reading Perreau’s fascinating, and potentially groundbreaking, story: “Is France Making Planned Obsolescence Obsolete?”
Gift-giving season is now in full swing, so please check out our 2023 Gift Guide. (Spoiler alert: the topic might seem odd, but trust me: the items will suit just about anyone on your list, and give them something that’s unusually environmentally friendly.) For an equally easy, thoughtful, and sustainable gift, may I also suggest a subscription to Craftsmanship? Starting in January, all subscribers will get early access to our releases, along with other new specials, for only $6/month, or $60/year. And you can schedule your gift to arrive in the recipient’s inbox anytime you like.
Our Fall issue on “The Art of Repair” will continue for one more week, thanks in part to our issue sponsor, the Culture of Repair. In the meantime, you still have time to share your Repair Rants & Raves with us. It only takes a few minutes, and we’ll share the best stories —such as the reader entry below—on our social media channels.
After our Repair issue’s final release, on Dec. 8, we’ll be taking our usual holiday hiatus from publishing, returning in early January with a new Winter issue and theme.
In the meantime, I hope you'll always find something intriguing to read, watch, or listen to within our pages. We welcome your thoughts via email, as well as on Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube. Thank you for reading and sharing our stories, for donating to our cause as you can, and for being such a loyal part of the Craftsmanship community.
Sincerely,
Todd Oppenheimer
Publisher & Editor-in-Chief, Craftsmanship Magazine
Craftsmanship is a reader-supported publication. To help sustain our ad-free, independent journalism, please consider a paid subscription here on Substack.
Fall 2023: The Art of Repair
In a culture addicted to novelty and fast profits, the humble art of repair has declined almost to the point of extinction. But it’s not too late: In this issue, we’ll delve into the history of planned obsolescence and the reemerging ethos of restoration. From the patient hands of watchmakers, piano restoration experts, and veteran appliance repairmen, to the story of a young French woman who got her country to ban planned obsolescence, we’ll explore what it really means to create, maintain—and truly value—a world built to last.
This issue is supported in part by a grant from the Culture of Repair. Interested in sponsoring an upcoming theme or project? Contact us at publisher@craftsmanship.net.
Our Readers Share Their “Repair Rants & Raves”
RANT: “In 2009, we bought an LG side-by-side refrigerator that we really liked—plenty of shelf space, worked great. One day, I went to get water from the dispenser in the fridge and it came out from the bottom of the door, squirting water all over my left foot. I tried to take the door apart but failed, and called a repairman. He said there were no parts available for the water tube at the bottom of the door—and the door itself could not be reordered, either. We could continue to get ice from the fridge door, but carefully avoided the ‘water’ button. We finally got a new refrigerator of a different brand, moved the LG to the garage to be our spare beer refrigerator, and then moved a decades-old yellow refrigerator from the garage to our son's mountain cabin, 100 miles away. All that for a few ice cubes.…”
- Irene C., Nampa, ID
During our Fall issue on "The Art of Repair," we want to hear about the belongings you love most for their usefulness, beauty, and longevity—and those you love to hate. We'll share the best entries through the end of the issue. Submit yours here.