In this paper, the issue of the deliberate aging of products by manufacturers is discussed. Deliberate aging consists in intentionally planning or designing a product with an artificially limited lifetime in order to force consumers to replace it faster. The resulting rapid acceleration of the cycle of obtaining and utilizing consumer goods has serious consequences in the form of negative externalities. For this reason, the conscious aging of products is now recognized as the cause of unjustified consumption, generating huge economic and social costs and leading to the devastation of the natural environment and excessive exploitation of natural resources. Thus, it is in clear contradiction to the model of sustainable development. The aim of this paper was to identify the purchasing attitudes of buyers in the durable goods market. For its implementation, a pilot questionnaire study, which covered a representative group of 354 respondents, was carried out. The results indicate that the factors that influence the purchase of restitution goods depend on the type of product and the consumer’s income. At the same time, about two thirds of the respondents recognized the problem of the deliberate aging of products. In their opinion, the goods produced in the autarkic economy were more durable and their life cycle was much longer. The results obtained require further empirical verification carried out in comparative studies.

Food choices are complex and highly variable, even over short periods, as they are influenced by numerous psychological, social, and cultural factors, in addition to biological and economic ones. Consumer choices are increasingly complex because of the growing quantity and variety of available food products, which also affects individuals’ environments. This paper is part of a larger study on health-related food choices, and it discusses how food choices affect the environment. To achieve the research goal, classes of respondents that are homogeneous in their food choices were identified. The authors used an algorithm to build classification trees and found that health status is determined by respondents’ age and food consumption habits. The paper demonstrates that understanding individual nutritional choices is a prerequisite for changing consumption habits and shaping healthy behavior, which is in line with the principle of sustainable development through sustainable consumption. The findings are relevant to public health researchers and practitioners who wish to understand the relationship between nutritional practices and health in line with sustainable development.

The definition of “old” has evolved intensively over the years due to demographic changes, and the ageing population is one of the most frequently discussed issues in recent decades. The profile of the 21^st century senior is completely different from the senior in the second half of the 21st-century senior is completely different from the senior in the second half of the 20th century, not to mention earlier periods in history. As an increasing group of benefactors of human activity, they create demand for products and experiences. The system of goods and services that aims to leverage their purchasing potential and satisfy their consumption needs, including living, health, tourism, cultural, information, and communication needs, has been referred to as the so-called Silver Economy. The book reviews the phenomenon of ageing of the EU’s population over 50. It also presents a multidimensional view of the potential for the development of this group’s economic, social, medical, family, personal and technological demand in the early 21st century. The book analyses the market behaviour of seniors and argues that the Silver Economy will grow in importance and profitability every year in various areas, both public and private. This includes health, finance, employment, leisure and well-being, education, and the use of digital tools. This publication is recommended for policymakers and business players who are considering how to achieve economic development through the growing and changing demand of the ageing population. For the world is now facing a challenge that no community has ever faced before – the coexistence of a long-lived population on the one hand and the growing popularity of digital technologies on the other. Chapter 4 of this book is available for free in PDF format as Open Access from the individual product page at www.routledge.com. It has been made available under a Creative Commons Attribution-Non Commercial-No Derivatives (CC-BY-NC-ND) 4.0 license. The publication was financed by a subsidy for the University of Wroclaw, Funds for the “Excellence Initiative – Research University” program, a subsidy for the University of Bialystok and a grant from the Krakow University of Economics (057/ ZZE/2022/POT). <!----> <!----> <!----> <!---->

The purpose of the considerations is to present and systematise barriers to creating innovation in the Polish economy in 2012–2016. The desk research was based on the results of Community Innovation Surveys (CIS 2012 and CIS 2014), thematic studies of the Central Statistical Office and a report from the Infuture hatalska foresight institute. The use of statistical and comparative analysis in conjunction with the review of the literature on innovation barriers leads to the conclusion that Polish enterprises recognise the lack of financial resources as a major barrier to creating innovation, while non-financial barriers are much less important. The marginal treatment of non-financial barriers is a reversal of attitudes and directions of activities that are undertaken in the field of creating innovation in highly developed countries.

The paper aims at presenting the quality of life in terms of the deepening population aging process conditioned (to a great extent) by the progressive convergence of technologies. The interdisciplinary, theoretical nature of the considerations is a voice in the discussion on the interpretation, place, and role of quality of life, with particular emphasis on the extension of human life as a consequence of medical development. The authors applied the descriptive analysis method to present the category of quality of life, the phenomenon of population aging, the specificity of technological changes, and selected issues in the field of demographic changes. Polish and foreign literature on the subject was the basis for the considerations. The theoretical aspect of the research is supplemented by the empirical part supported by available secondary data published by Eurostat and Statistics Poland (Główny Urząd Statystyczny). Poland has been in the top thirty demographically old countries in the world for many years. In 1967, it crossed the threshold of demographic old age, and in 1980 — the threshold of advanced demographic old age. The demographic forecasts of Statistics Poland indicate that the number of people in retirement age will increase, and in 2035, it will reach 26.7% of the population. The observed and forecasted decline in the total population and the growth in the number of people in the senior age lead to an increase in the demographic dependency ratio of the elderly. The convergence of technologies revealed in medicine creates a new perspective on the population aging process. Extending human life allows one to recognize that the quality of life becomes: 1. the most desirable result of all healthcare policies; 2. dependent on the change of the healthcare model, i.e., the transition from the dominant model of reactive and retrospective care to the desired proactive and prospective model.