Non-reparable household goodies aren't green

Following the comment of Mike on my previous post (Richmond Transits: Free marketing advice for Dualit), here's some more advice for them:

when doing brand extension (like the low-end SoftTouch), make sure the new products abide by the same brand values. After all, I always say that marketing is a promise, and if you market stuff that robs the customer perception your overall brand is devalued. Just go and ask Mercedes-Benz what they think about it after they had quality issues in the 80ies...

Also, if you're not green the consumers will lash back. It is my personal prediction that non reparable goods will be seen as non-green and won't be able to attract a premium. As the market will fork, consumers will buy Miele or chinese washing machines, little in between. So, sort out your after-sales and make your stuff fixable.

Manufacturers supply chain will also need some attention, and that's potentially a financial gain: as James puts it here, Green is a form of Lean