It's Time to Break the Cycle of Cheap, Disposable Junk — Here's How Entrepreneurs Can Lead the Way

Key Points

• Overreliance on cheap, disposable goods is eroding consumer trust in businesses and harming mental health by fostering materialism linked to anxiety and depression.
• Entrepreneurs can break this cycle by prioritizing high-quality, durable products that build customer loyalty and long-term trust rather than pursuing volume sales.
• Brands like Apple, Briggs & Riley and Hyundai demonstrate that extended or lifetime warranties and durable design can transform reputation and drive sustainable growth.
• Key strategies include focusing on one exceptional product, being transparent about its lifespan, and offering a commitment to repair or replace under long-term warranties.

In an era of throwaway culture, products built to fail are costing us trust, money and something often overlooked – mental health.

As The Wall Street Journal recently discussed, consumers are addicted to cheap goods that they don't need and are engineered to fail. With every purchase of another low-quality disposable product, there's a growing cognitive dissonance: We know our choices are contributing to something harmful — to ourselves, our finances and our environment — but we can't seem to help ourselves.

This ongoing struggle is taking a toll. A 2023 study published by Frontiers in Psychology found that materialism is consistently associated with mental health problems like depression and anxiety and contributes to an overall decline in well-being. In other words, buying more is not making us feel better – it's making us feel worse.

This phenomenon contributes to another worrying trend — our eroding trust in institutions, and big businesses in particular. According to the 2025 Edelman Trust Barometer, trust in U.S. businesses runs at just 47%, well below the global average of 56% and lags behind countries like China (77%) and India (75%).

Related: Stop Blindly Following 'the Customer Is Always Right'

We don't just feel annoyed by broken items; we feel betrayed. Low-quality, unreliable products lead to a deeper emotional turmoil in which we begin to question the integrity of the marketplace, of brands, and even our judgment.

In my last article, I argued that as entrepreneurs, we have a responsibility and the power to reverse the destructive advertising and business trends that are fueling society's need for products they don't need or cannot afford. But fixing how we sell is only part of the solution. We also need to focus on what we sell.

Entrepreneurs do not have to sacrifice their businesses' growth and reputation to improve the situation. By focusing on creating high-quality, durable products, we can build customer loyalty and grow responsibly. Build less and build better.

Many brands have proven it's possible to prioritize product quality by offering lifetime warranties, repair programs or simply building products that last. As a result, they are forging trust and long-term loyalty that keeps customers coming back. Here are a few that stand out.

• Apple – Quality and durability: Apple did not become the biggest company in the world by building junk. Its products are expensive relative to most competitors, but they are also high quality and built to last. Apple also benefits from the power of the Halo effect – confidence in one product encourages customers to buy more from the same brand. Higher prices become less of an issue when consumers know Apple's products will perform for years.
• Briggs & Riley's lifetime warranty: The luggage maker produces high-quality luggage that's backed by a lifetime warranty. I've sent my suitcase back four times since I bought it over a decade ago, including after it fell off the back of a pick-up truck in Ecuador. Each time, they have repaired it. As a result, I've recommended this company to everyone I know. That kind of service builds loyalty.
• Hyundai changed the market and its reputation with a 10-year warranty: After launching into the American market in the 1980s with inexpensive yet low-quality vehicles, Hyundai reinvented itself by offering good-quality, durable vehicles and "America's Best Warranty" through an unprecedented 10-year/100,000-mile comprehensive plan. While most competitors' warranties maxed out at 5 years or 60,000 miles, Hyundai's move completely changed its reputation and helped it become the number three automaker in the world.

More and more people want to buy from brands that are honest, sustainable and sell products that are built to last. Entrepreneurs just need to give them the opportunity to make the responsible choice.

Related: 31 Low-Budget Marketing Ideas for Your Business

Three shifts for entrepreneurs who want to build better

• Start with one, high-quality product: Instead of revamping your entire product line, focus on making one item truly exceptional. Emphasize quality craftsmanship, offer extended support and let that product become your calling card. Use the Halo effect that Apple and others leverage for growth.
• Be transparent about lifespan and use: Instead of pretending that your product is eternal, tell the truth about its expected lifespan. And if the life span is designed to barely outlive its warranty, invest in ways to make it more durable and able to live up to your sales pitch.

Conversely, if you build a product that is designed to fail earlier than it should, at least be transparent about it. While I certainly don't endorse planned obsolescence for any product, your customers deserve to know that the product may not last as long as others, but it is (hopefully) priced accordingly.

• Offer free replacement or repair: As you transition your brand's reputation to one known for high quality and long-term value, you'll need to convince consumers that your claims are legitimate. There's no better way than to stand behind what you sell with a long-term warranty that includes a commitment to repair or replace.

It's time to redefine success

For too long, entrepreneurs have been conditioned to sell as much as possible at the highest price possible. This has led to most consumers conflating volume with value.

However, there is an opportunity to shift toward a different paradigm anchored in selling fewer items in order to generate higher returns in terms of brand value and customer retention.

I'm calling on my fellow entrepreneurs to embrace this opportunity and put an end to the constant strain on our collective mental health that's been created by the phenomenon of planned obsolescence.

After all, real innovation isn't about making and selling more and more products. It's about making better products that don't need to be replaced. Innovation is about giving people real value in exchange for their hard-earned money, and not just more stuff.