Siemens ExtraRent - a Product Service System PSS
If you live outside the teutonic states you might only know Siemens for their cellular mobile phones. But they do other stuff. As you might, if you employed over 400,000 people in 190 countries and put €5 billion in R&D.; One of those other things is their ExtraRent progam. With this, you can have the function of a Siemen’s appliance, say, a fridge, washing machine, stove, tumble dryer or dishwasher, without the hassles of ownership. ...... They’ll deliver the appliance, install it and take away any of the packaging, service any parts that wear out over a five year period and remove it after that time for appropriate reuse or disposal. This is known as Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR). (just why are these 3 letter acronyms stalking me?) If, when the 5 years is up, you’ve become attached to your whitegood, you can buy it off Siemens, extend the rent or swap it for something else in their appliance line, maybe the latest more energy efficient model. Available throughout Austria, where they have 100 service centres ready to keep your ExtraRent fridge chillin’ those bottles of Becks. Monthly rentals start around €4. (~$5.30 USD) ::Siemens [by WM] Ed Note: Notice how this shifts the manufacturer's incentive from making things that wear out so that they need to be replaced, to making things that last, with parts that can be reused/recycled? Genius.