Resource efficiency

We live in a resource-constrained world. Business, as part of society, is responsible for using, and reusing, our limited resources wisely.

Developing future-friendly products takes the materials used as well as ease of recyclability and the degree its materials can be reused into consideration.

For Electrolux, resource efficiency incorporates the entire product lifecycle. This means consuming fewer resources and producing less waste to generate our products while delivering the same end service. In order to create long-term competitiveness, a focus on costs is central to our business strategy. Using our resources efficiently is an integral part of this.

Conserving energy, reducing landfill and wise use of resources are three reasons appliance recycling is an integral part of building sustainable societies. Direct materials for the manufacture of appliances such as refrigerators comprise primarily of steel and plastics, both of which can be efficiently recycled.

Legislation in Europe places responsibility for recycling on product manufacturers. Electrolux is a supporter of individual producer responsibility, because we recognize its role as an incentive for producers to design products that are easier to recycle.

The Electrolux response

• We lobby actively for individual producer responsibility, in part by working with proactive industry partners and NGOs such as European Environmental Bureau and Greenpeace.
• Together with Sony, Hewlett Packard and Braun, we set up the European Recycling Platform (ERP), the first pan-European platform for management of waste products.
• Electrolux meets EU requirements that at least 75% of the materials comprising our large appliances and 50% of the materials going into our small appliances (measured in weight) can be recycled.
• Most of our impact on the environment occurs when our products are in operation —in the form of energy and water consumption. That is why improving efficiency during use is our primary objective.
• Our ‘design for recycling’ emphasizes how to use and combine materials in order to improve recyclability and therefore resource use.
• We strive to minimize waste in production and make optimal use of all the materials going into our factories.
• We are improving energy use within our own operations and have set a target to cut energy in operations by 15% by 2009, compared to 2005 energy consumption.
• We annually benchmark material use in global production as one aspect of our Group Performance indicators.
• We are rolling out products that contain recycled material.