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Published on April 17, 2008

It is her fourth in eight years. She did not want to get rid of the old one, but the fact is that it is cheaper to replace than repair.

That seems to be the case with most consumer goods nowadays. We are forced to dispose of damaged notebook computers, digital cameras and DVD players because the repair cost is just ridiculous.

The average lifespan of a cellphone is 18 months. Surely, we ought to get better value, especially when paying upwards of Bt10,000. What about all the toxins in the waste stream from a billion phones being discarded every year?

"The Story of Stuff", Annie Leonard's animated documentary examining the consumer society takes a look at this "planned obsolescence" and a whole lot more.

Released last December, the film has travelled the world and was premiered here recently by the Thai Working Group on Climate Justice to coincide with the United Nations' climate change summit earlier this month. Do not worry if you missed it, you can download it for free at www.storyofstuff.com

Planned obsolescence is "another word for 'designed for the dump'. It means they actually make stuff that is designed to be useless as quickly as possible so we will chuck it and go buy a new one … The designers are open about it. They actually discuss how fast they can make stuff break and still leave the consumer with enough faith in the product to buy another one," Leonard said.

But manufacturers also know that some stuff just does not break fast enough, so there is "perceived obsolescence" by changing the way the products look and adding a few more functions so that everyone can tell if you are still using what you bought a couple years ago, she said. Fashion is a prime example of this. Of course, advertisements have a big role to play here.

The film is a 20-minute journey showing all the key components that feed our consumer society, from extraction, production, distribution, consumption and disposal. While for some, the information may not be new, the presentation is nonetheless an entertaining and valuable reminder that survival on the planet hinges on our ability to consume less, not more "stuff".

Although the film is principally geared to American viewers, there is plenty for us Thais to relate to.

Just look at all the junk and clutter in your house - we are all part of the problem.

Nantiya Tangwisutijit

nantiya@nationgroup.com