PROMPT – Premature Obsolescence Multi-Stakeholder Product Testing Programme

The term “premature obsolescence” describes the phenomenon that products cease to be used at a point in their lifetime which arrives too soon. Premature obsolescence can have technical and non-technical underlying reasons. From a technical point of view, flaws in the quality and design of a product can lead to low reliability and a lack of reparability. Non-technical reasons for premature obsolescence can be linked to factors such as technological progress, advertising and fashion, consumption patterns and trends, and status, among others.

The H2020 PROMPT project has the goal to establish an independent testing programme to assess the lifetime of consumer products when they are put on the market. The focus is on electrical and electronic products and in particular on smartphones, (smart) TVs, washing machines and televisions. The testing programme will cover major aspects related to longevity. It has the goal to enable testing bodies, consumer organisations, market surveillance authorities and other interested stakeholders to assess premature obsolescence. It will contribute to ongoing and future standardisation efforts and provide designers and policymakers with recommendations on improving durability and reparability of products, empower consumers to make informed choices, and create awareness on market conditions. The project runs from May 2019 to April 2023.

Video about the topic: Product Lifetimes and the environment – Plate Conference 2017

What is the mission of the project?

The main objective of PROMPT is to develop an independent testing programme to support the assessment of the longevity of consumer products when they are put on the market.

Where and when did the project start?

The kickoff meeting took place in May 2019 in Delft, Netherlands.

Where is the project offered today?

The project runs until 2023 and results will be available without geographical limits.

To whom is this project aimed? Who belongs to your target group?

The main target groups are testing bodies, consumer organisations, market surveillance authorities and other interested stakeholders that want to assess premature obsolescence.

What do you consider to be the most innovative aspects of your offer?

Premature obsolescence is a complex phenomenon, since there might be technical and non-technical reasons for early product replacement. For this purpose, the PROMPT consortium takes a holistic approach through interdisciplinary and international multi-stakeholder collaboration. The consortium is accompanied by an independent Advisory Board.

What are the most important impacts of the project in terms of sustainability?

The results of the project can contribute to improve the durability (reliability and reparability) of electrical and electronic products put on the EU market. Extending the lifetime of products will contribute to less resource extraction and less waste generation.

Furthermore, more durable products can benefit consumers from an economic point of view and create local jobs (for example in the repair sector). The project is fully in line with the EU’s growth strategy (Green Deal) and the Circular Economy Action Plan.

Which aspects are particularly interesting from a design perspective?

Sustainability starts with design. Creating more reliable and reparable products is a design question that needs to take into consideration the entire value chain (form resource extraction to end of life). Within this value chain, consumers play a crucial role when it comes to durability. The initial design of a product should consider this aspect and help users to extend a product’s lifetime.

Will there be any digital offers developed?

A web tool initially developed by Test Achats in Belgium (https://www.test-achats.be/trop-vite-use ) was extended to four other EU countries (Spain, Portugal, France, Italy), allowing millions of consumers to signal their faulty products to the national consumer organisations. Since the web tools are structured in a similar way, it becomes for the first time possible to analyse and to compare the data between different EU countries and identify similarities, but also differences.

What are some interesting numbers about the project?

The consortium consists of 12 organisations from seven countries with more than 30 people actively involved in the project.

What happens next? What are your goals?

Having finalised most of the data collection part, the consortium will now start working actively on the creation of the testing programme from January 2021 onwards.

In parallel, work on reliability, reparability and market and user aspects continues, and will lead to deliverables on test results and specification for batteries and electronics as well as test results and specification mechanics. Furthermore, an interim report on the communication and dissemination activities will be prepared.

As of today, PROMPT already actively contributes to ongoing policy work on international (UNEP), European (DG GROW, DG JUST, DG CONNECT, etc.) and national level (ADEME, France).

PROMPT continues to be present at international conferences and will, for example, contribute to the next Product Lifetimes and the Environment (PLATE) conference in May 2021.

Video about the topic: Planned obsolescence taken to task in France

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