EU CONSUMER LAW AND PLANNED OBSOLESCENCE: A BULGARIAN PERSPECTIVE ON SUSTAINABILITY AND RIGHT OF REPAIR
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.59957/jctm.v61.i4.2026.13Keywords:
planned obsolescence, consumer protection, legislation, circular economy, sustainable development.Abstract
Planned obsolescence is a practice used by companies to make a product intentionally unusable after a certain period of time or otherwise make it obsolete, in order to increase sales by requiring premature product replacement. This phenomenon has a negative impact on sustainability, as it leads to waste of resources, pollutes the environment and increases the consumption of raw materials for new production processes. This article aims to analyze the legal problem of planned obsolescence in the context of consumer sales, in light of the current European regulatory framework, including its implementation in Bulgaria. With a particular focus on sustainability, the article aims to illustrate the problems and proposed solutions.
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