I read about this recently with respect to GMs invention of planned obsolence for cars. They managed to give cars to all Americans which lasted a good time. To continue sales they had to reduce quality and do frequent style changes.

I guess it was really just a reinvention of what the fashion industry had been doing for a long time. Get people to throw away perfectly good clothes and biluy new ones because it no longer matched fashion.

We really ought to rethink this madness. Companies are already able to make really durable products but there is no economic incentive to do so.

How can we change the incentives?

I am not sure if that is possible in a regular free market economy, as one kind depend on sort of perpetual growth