Sometimes I wonder why didn’t the olive oil in the Big Bazar has an expiry date ? While the tooth paste I eat can live for 3 years, the betadine cream I apply externally should expire within 2 years ?
Why are the MNCs too eager to display the expiry date as boldly as possible? Is it because this date can keep their sales rolling.
Planned Obsolescence
Even the last software update of an iPhone before the launching of a new model makes it slower. ( There is a libel suit against iPhone for purposefully engineering slow down of the previous model before the launch of an exciting new model.)
But the biggest and most infamous among all of the planned ineffectiveness is the famous Phoebus Cartel.
The PHOEBUS CARTEL
On 23 December 1924, a group of leading international businessmen from all the major lightbulb manufacturers gathered in Geneva to form a cartel. It included Germany’s OSRAM, the Netherlands’ PHILIPS, France’s Compagnie des Lampes, and the United States’ GENERAL ELECTRIC, also manufacturers from Japan and China. On paper, it was the
“Convention for the Development of the International Electric Lamp Industry.” They met to find a way to boost the sagging sale of light bulbs.
But their real purpose was far from healthy.
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The standard household lightbulb in 1924 had a burning time of 2,500 HOURS or more. In the 30 years from its invention, World’s consumption of light bulb had slowed down. In fact, the sale of Oshram of Germany had DROPPED from 63 million bulbs in 1922-23 to a mere 28 million by 1924. Sales have plummeted the world over. This was a matter of concern of all the members.
They had formed an infamous cartel to boost the sale of bulbs by a sinister method – Purposefully REDUCING the LIFE of a light bulb. Their aim was to engineer a new light bulb that reliably FAILED after an agreed-upon 1,000 hours down from the standard 3,000 hours.
The cartel started researching how to modify the filament and other measures to shorten the life span of their bulbs as seriously as the inventors had tried to lengthen it. And succeeded.
Each factory bound by the cartel agreement had to regularly send samples of its bulbs to a central testing laboratory in Switzerland.
If any factory submitted bulbs lasting LONGER than the 1000 hours, the factory was to pay a FINE.
In the next 5 years the cartel pushed the sagging sale of light bulbs to 425 million.
This golden run of the cartel was brought down not by human but by God. The World War -2 divided the cartel into two enemy halves and their coordinatoion failed.
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As on date, we know that the expiry date printed on a drug is determined by a bigger Phoebus Cartel which considers not only the bio availability of the molecule but also their turn over rate and profitability of the product in addition.
Dr Ramakanta's Ideas 