No more dumpster design please

How do we add value to products? why do we want to add value to products? I would like to add the type of value that causes people to cherish objects, to keep them and maintain them. I wonder if this type of value can be added to a mass produced product?
Maybe,
Rolex watches are mass produced and cherished as heirlooms by some. Some cars, model T's, ferraris and rare muscle cars have the same effect. Many consumer goods that fall in the catagorie of antiques qualify. I wonder what it is that ties all of these things together, what can be learned from these things that we can add to new products?
As someone who is interested in craftsmenship i tend to believe that objects need to be well made to fall into the cherished catagorie. It is true that this is not always necesary. The converse all star is a pretty crappy shoe but a lot of people are obsessed with those things. Maybe it was the initial quality of the idea that elevated it to its current status. The rubber soled shoe would be hard to live without.
There is still the question of why. Why should we want to add value to things. The majority of current design only strives to appear more valuable than its competition, both of which are probably disposable anyways so unless it was the plastic ring that your husband proposed to you with because the real one got stolen by pirates, you probably wont bother to keep most of the crap that you buy anyways.
that was a little soap boxy
but seriously, a lot of talk about sustainable goods is in the wrong direcion the way i see it. I dont care if the sweater is made from recycled plastic bottles or not, if it is not made well, made to last a lifetime, than it is still wasteful.
The reason why i think it is important to add value to products is so that people will want to keep them. The dumpster is already full, why are we designing new things destined for it?