Built to Last or Bought to Trash?

That's a term I learned from American Public Media's Marketplace radio show's special called "Consumed" The premise of the show explores our economy's model of growth based on consumption and whether it is sustainable. It asks, is our need to have more a disease, where does our trash go? It explores the disposable assumption of many items that were once meant to last a lifetime or at least a very long time.

For example, H&M and Ikea (interesting that both are Swedish companies) specialize in items that are meant to slowly deconstruct begging for new stuff. It's cheap so it doesn't matter. How does that alter the way we look at what we buy, it is built to last, or bought to trash.

If you get a moment, give it a listen or read.