The mass-production of the world’s products has allowed for previously marginalised consumers to purchase items that would have only been accessible to the wealthy. But has it come at a too high a cost?
Henry Ford, when he wasn’t busy being a huge racist and generally awful person, is often accredited with the creation of the first ever production-line that was able to help generate the mass-manufacture of his vehicles. This allowed for more cars to be produced, with a simpler design, at a significantly lower cost. In doing so, cars were finally made accessible to the general public rather than the privileged few. Ford also pioneered the five-day workweek and raised wages to over double the standard daily-wage, explaining:
‘It is high time to rid ourselves of the notion that leisure for workmen is either 'lost time' or a class privilege.’
Of course, Ford’s intentions were purely altruistic. Well-rested, highly-paid workers are far more productive and less likely to leave and but their skills to use elsewhere. Moreover, workers with more money and free-time have the opportunity to buy a Ford car!
But no matter what his reasons were, Ford created a new culture of mass-consumerism that society is built upon today. On the one hand, the rise of mass-manufacture has allowed for people with little money to have access to items such as mobile phones, decent clothing and furniture. It has made not only luxury items available for all, but also necessities such as toothbrushes, furniture and crockery. It has ensured that everyone, at least in the Western world, has access to the same types of products, regardless of income. However, this mass-manufacture has had a detrimental impact on the planet. Huge amounts of raw resources, energy and water are needed to create our products which place high demands on the Earth’s natural resources. Then these products will inevitably end up in landfill a few years down the line when they break or a newer model is released. And as previously seen in ‘Blood in the Mobile’, the working conditions of the people who work to extract raw materials and manufacture the products are often atrocious.
So what’s the solution? I haven’t the slightest clue. I believe that cheaper, mass produced products should be available so that everyone has access to a good standard of living, but we need to change our attitudes surrounding their disposability. Manufacturers also need to step up and improve working conditions as well as stop creating shoddy products and using planned obsolescence as a means to sell more stock. Everyone deserves good design, but this good design should not come at the expense of our planet.
Morven
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