To reduce environmental impact, Electrolux Group launches a new, more sustainable packaging for Electrolux and AEG small appliances. The Expanded PolyStyrene (EPS)-free packaging is made from paper-based material certified by the Forest Stewardship Council, with a four-color print that uses 70% less ink. The number of packaging variations has also been halved by using stickers to differentiate between various products in the same range. This helps to avoid waste packaging as the same box can be used for multiple products. “We know that consumers want sustainable packaging that can be recycled. As a sustainability leader in the appliance industry, shifting to more sustainable packaging is a must for us. This is just the first step”, says Ella Rudebeck, Global Packaging Manager at Electrolux Group. As regards to the large appliances, in tests, replacing EPS with paper-based materials actually increased environmental impact. “Packaging large appliances with only paper-based materials requires a lot of cardboard and we found that the carbon footprint and the quantity of waste generated can actually be higher than with EPS – explains Maria Chiara Frijia, Electrolux Group Sustainable Materials Innovation Expert –. Our demanding packaging simulations also concluded that paper-based materials alone did not sufficiently protect large appliances, especially in certain environmental conditions such as high humidity”.
