Legal instruments of the European Union and countries of the American Continent to deal with planned obsolescence

Abstract

The practice of planned obsolescence is an intentional strategy adopted by companies to reduce the lifespan of a product or the life cycle of its components, making it obsolete in the market and generating the need to replace it with another good with more frequency. The article aims to examine how the European Union, as an economic bloc, is regulating planned obsolescence and how some Member States of the European Union and countries of the American Continent position themselves in their domestic legislation on the subject. Regarding the objectives, the research is descriptive and explanatory, uses the deductive method with support in bibliographic research and document analysis. The results indicate that the European Union has advanced significantly with the edition of several resolutions to combat the practice of programmed obsolescence, based on respect for the consumer, extension of the product warranty period, efficient use of exhaustible natural resources and reduction in waste generation. In the American Continent, there are legislative initiatives to strengthen the protection of consumer rights. The study also showed that complaints related to the deliberate shortening of the shelf life of products are being judged in the Courts of different countries with decisions favorable to consumers.