We’ve all heard stories of how the fridges built in the 1970s are famously still running today, while appliances bought today typically don’t even last five years (or, more precisely, last as long as the warranty and not a day longer).

From our fickle fast fashion through to the service-hungry cars we drive, and the laptops we must keep upgrading to keep up with the latest cable standards, built-in obsolescence, like it or not, is a smart if cynical sales and marketing strategy we have little choice but to accept these days as marketers race to maximise (as is their legal right) profit rather than performance and longevity.