Beauty-tech, wellbeing and lifestyle brand Foreo has unveiled a campaign to highlight sustainability and to spotlight one of the most common malpractices in the consumer electronics industry.
‘Make products to last, not break fast’ launched on Earth Day (22 April). It featured a call to electronic device producers to revise planned obsolescence ethics, and to end the production of products that break quickly or require constant upgrading or replacement.
“The fact that many brands you trust are actually purposely limiting the lifespan of their products so you can return and buy more is outrageous. It’s time to change this.” – Foreo CEO Boris Trupčević
“The impact on our planet can no longer be ignored,” the brand company said. “News of climate change and many other assaults on the biosphere are flooding our small screens daily. Now, with 500 times more microplastics in our oceans than stars in our galaxy and landfills growing, we need to ask ourselves – where is all this waste coming from and are we a part of the problem?”
Foreo CEO Boris Trupčević said: “The fact that many brands you trust are actually purposely limiting the lifespan of their products so you can return and buy more is outrageous. It’s time to change this.”
As reported, media mogul Trupčević took on the CEO role at Foreo earlier this year.
He underlined Foreo’s mission to produce quality products that serve its customers for many years. “Our idea is to produce less products that last longer, thus not putting additional stress on the environment and still we’re seeing significant growth in our business.”
Trupčević suggested the way other brands can take a stand is simple: “By making their products last as long as possible”.
“This is prioritising the environment and consumer interest over profits and it is honestly much more effective than donations or acquiring certificates to hide behind. There is a downside maybe in the short term, but in the long run there is no other way,” he said.
The brand has reached out to hundreds of its earliest customers for their feedback on product performance and quality. Responses have been encouraging, with some customers still using the same products, such as the Luna device, after eight years.
“This means we succeeded, not only in meeting the needs of our customers, but also in preserving our planet by eliminating littering with e-waste,” Trupčević added.
Foreo cited statistics from the UN’s Global E-waste Monitor 2020 which indicate a record 53.6 million tonnes of e-waste was produced in 2019 globally, an increase of +21% in five years. Data indicated that this is a consequence of higher consumption rates of electrical and electronic equipment, short life cycles of the products, and limited repair options.
“Equally worrying is the fact that only 17.4% e-waste was collected and recycled,” Foreo added.
