Arçelik, parent company to 12 home appliance brands, including Beko and Grundig, announced at IFA 2019 its commitment to make its microfiber filtering technology available to competitors in the home appliances industry. The announcement was made by Arçelik CEO Hakan Bulgurlu. The company has developed a washing machine with a built-in synthetic microfiber filtration system, which is planned to be rolled out in the market in 2020. Microfibers are flushed down the drain and end up in the oceans after every single washing load. These microfibers are then swallowed by fish and other marine animals and have now found their way into our food chain. The new technology will block 90% of microfibers from entering the water sources, with the filtration box located in the detergent drawer filtering the water before discharge. Bulgurlu asserted that humanity faces a global crisis by damaging and destroying the environment at a quicker rate than it can regenerate itself. “As a company with a global footprint, with products and services in 146 countries, we made it our mission to do everything within our power to make a change as time is running out in the fight against environmental disasters, most importantly climate catastrophe. That’s why we believe creating a value through reducing the environmental damage that we are causing as an industry is a key opportunity we should seize” Bulgurlu said. Bulgurlu stated that consumers are not only actively looking for products that address these global and environmental issues — they are willing to pay more for them too. “This reaffirms the idea that purpose-driven businesses will always outperform their peers in the long term. At Arçelik, we are committed to building purposeful brands and strive to differentiate ourselves with products and technologies that endorse sustainability as we focus on efficient use of resources and circular economic solutions, such as the microfiber filtration technology. This technology is one of the most important innovations to come out of Arçelik and it has the potential to create far-reaching and significant change in our world. We have made significant investments in R&D and we are keen on working together with NGOs, universities and other stakeholders to expand this project” said Bulgurlu. The company has also developed a washing machine tub made of recycled PET bottles and the bio fridge that is made with Bio-Based Plastics, Bio-Based Polyurethane insulation material and Bio-Based composites made of food residue. Besides, efforts are also being made to reduce marine pollution through the use of materials from recycled fishing nets. 640,000 tons of fishing nets and lines are lost every year, and this equipment will continue to trap marine animals for many decades to come. By upcycling these old nets together with waste textile fibers, Arçelik creates a nylon-based composite material with mechanical strength and thermal resistance, which is used in oven parts. Alongside this, Arçelik have focused its R&D efforts around the core belief that technology should be available to all by announcing its new Solar Fridge. The off-grid refrigerator runs on solar power. Powered by DC instead of AC, it has a lower carbon footprint and higher efficiency than conventional refrigerators. The product will be ready for serial production early next year.
