Designed to break: planned obsolescence as corporate environmental crime

Abstract Planned obsolescence is the practice of deliberately designing products to limit their life span encourage replacement. It a common business strategy for consumer goods, with far-reaching ecological and social consequences. Here, we examine definition, causes consequences planned by using insights from corporate crime literature, integrated environmental philosophy, management sciences, technology studies law. Focusing on cases in electronics, show that concept procedure carries conceptual ambiguity moral ambivalence, bearing diffuse harms, benefitting short-term profit but undermining confidence, posing major barrier sustainability. We discuss system lock-ins driving companies engage obsolescence, reframe as form crime.