Have prospects for product life-spans improved? A comparison of trends in household appliances and electronic goods over 25 years

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Cooper, T ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8623-2918, Watkins, M, Bathaei Javareshk, M and Baguley, T ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0477-2492, 2025. Have prospects for product life-spans improved? A comparison of trends in household appliances and electronic goods over 25 years. In: Laursen, LN and Hansen, AK, eds., Proceedings of the 6th Product Lifetimes and the Environment Conference (PLATE2025). Aalborg: Aalborg University, pp. 167-169. ISBN 9788776420604

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Official URL: https://doi.org/10.54337/plate2025-10391

Abstract

The lack of firm evidence on trends in the life-span of consumer durables is especially unfortunate in the case of household appliances and electronic goods due to the scale and environmental impact of e-waste (Balde et al., 2024). Although some limited international data on product life-spans was identified over 40 years ago (OECD, 1982), research to generate data systematically across all types of household appliances and electronic goods was only undertaken much later.

During the 1990s the impending Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) Directive prompted manufacturers and retailers to seek better information about the waste created by their products. A multi-stakeholder project team was formed and commissioned a survey of ‘end-of-life’ household appliances and electronic goods, which addressed life-spans. Their report, Prospects for Household Appliances, revealed that 57% of such products in people’s homes were under 5 years old and their average (mean) age when discarded ranged from 4 years (for small appliances, mobile phones and toys) to 12 years (for electric cookers). Almost one half of respondents expressed dissatisfaction with product life-spans (Cooper & Mayers, 2000; Cooper, 2004).

The circular economy debate has increased interest in product longevity and prompted further European Union legislation (e.g. the Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation) and, in the UK, a parliamentary report on electronic waste (Environmental Audit Committee, 2020). Consequently, a second UK survey was undertaken, in 2023, to identify trends in the life-span of household appliances and electronic goods, and to explore consumers’ expectations, attitudes and behaviour concerning acquisition, repair and disposal, including life-span labelling.

This Extended Abstract compares data from the two UK surveys on the ownership of household appliances and electronic goods, their life-spans, and the extent of rental, reuse, borrowing and sharing. Future outputs will draw upon the substantial new database to address themes such as consumer expectations, public policy, demographic influences, design influences and repair.

Item Type:	Chapter in book
Description:	Paper presented at the Product Lifetimes and the Environment Conference (PLATE2025), Aalborg University, Aalborg, Denmark, 2-4 July 2025. Extended abstract.
Creators:	Cooper, T., Watkins, M., Bathaei Javareshk, M. and Baguley, T.
Publisher:	Aalborg University
Place of Publication:	Aalborg
Date:	2025
Number:	6
ISBN:	9788776420604
Identifiers:	Number Type 10.54337/plate2025-10391 DOI 2460600 Other
Rights:	This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Divisions:	Schools > School of Architecture, Design and the Built Environment Schools > School of Social Sciences
Record created by:	Jonathan Gallacher
Date Added:	02 Jul 2025 10:30
Last Modified:	02 Jul 2025 10:30
URI:	https://irep.ntu.ac.uk/id/eprint/53870