Pursuing sustainability policies, household appliance manufacturers tend to increasingly choose recycled steel, aluminium and plastic, especially in the production of refrigerators, washing machine, dishwashers, dryers, ovens and hobs.
Iron, aluminium, steel, plastic and concrete. They are the materials more used today to manufacture the coatings of big appliances and of some of their components. However, for some years now, leader manufacturing companies on a world scale have started producing washing machines or refrigerators, for instance, also with recycled raw materials: not only plastic, but also recycled steel or aluminium. The recycled aluminium, in particular, is used for some state-of-the-art refrigeration lines while the recycled plastic of PET bottles is used to make washing machine drums. In the name of the environmental sustainability and of circular economy.
Steel: reusable and more durable
Asko brand, Swedish company that takes care of environment and end-users, is increasingly oriented to use materials that can last in time or that, at their service life end, are more recyclable: «Asko has always tried making its appliances not only functional but also reliable and durable. Consequently, the choice of materials is oriented towards steel, easily recyclable, reusable and much more durable than plastic», explains Davide Berselli, Managing Director of BSD S.p.A, exclusive importer of Asko brand to Italy. Asko, in fact, goes on manufacturing all washing machines with steel drum and tank. Not only: in Asko dishwashers, rotating spouts are made of steel, like the whole bodywork. «The attention to quality, to performances and to the energy efficiency», Berselli adds, «has led Asko to use high-end components, tested in our Research and Development centres with great attention. Pumps in dishwashers, for instance, are with variable pressure. This allows us more customization: a programme can be carried out in “Night”, modality, so that the water pressure decreases and consequently noise is reduced by as many as 2 decibels». Besides, for a sustainable future for the environment and increasingly oriented to end-users’ better comfort, Asko is also going to introduce inside the domestic environment solutions already adopted in the professional world: they have already equipped 60-cm ovens with the temperature probe as standard, a valid aid to obtain always-perfect cooking results, so avoiding wastes of time and of electric energy. Besides, in dishwashers they have introduced a UV lamp that sterilizes the last-rinsing water, to assure perfect cleaning and sanitization of the dishes that are daily used.
Bio-methane and bioplastics
BSH uses different materials for the production of big appliances such as washing machines or refrigerators. However, they are increasingly focusing on manufacturing materials with a lower carbon footprint. On the occasion of Eurocucina 2024 exhibition, Bosch presented the Green Collection, a range of combined freestanding refrigerators, already available on the market, which now joins also the range of dishwashers, for which the company has used sustainable solutions and materials: «In the production process of the Green Collection range», a note by BSH explains, «Bosch uses steel with low CO2 emissions, with bio-methane and bioplastics as substitution of conventional materials. The result is that in the production of combi refrigerators of the Green Collection range they obtain an overall 33% reduction in CO2 emissions versus refrigerators with comparable features but made with conventional materials. All mobile and adjustable parts of refrigerators, like drawers and shelves, are made of bioplastics, whereas lateral panels are made of steel with low CO2 emissions. Green Collection dishwashers are manufactured in Germany with the use of stainless steel with low content of CO2, made up by 95% with high-quality recycled material, able to decrease by even 40% the carbon footprint in comparison with conventional steel. The comparison of the CO2 footprint refers to the conventional stainless steel used in the production of our dishwashers». Besides, concerning sustainability, Bosch presented in Milan also the prototype of the innovative hob powered by hydrogen instead of by methane gas, for a world pilot project called “H100 Fife” that provides for the supply of green hydrogen for heating and cooking in about 300 flats in the east coast of Scotia. The necessary energy for the whole process is generated by wind turbines and one of the main advantages of hydrogen is the missing generation of carbon dioxide.
Production materials with low content of CO2
For the production of dishwashers in Germany, since 2023 BSH has used stainless steel, with an up-to-47% lower footprint of CO2 than conventional stainless steel. «By 2030», the note by BSH Italia adds, «we aim at decreasing absolute emissions by 15%, versus 2018, in the Scope 3. Since 2021, BSH has used manufacturing materials with low content of CO2 in other product categories, too. In BSH factory at Lodz in Poland, for instance, they use 100% recycled steel for the mounting brackets of washing machines. Still since 2021, BSH has used 100%-recycled polypropylene for the casings of electronic components of some models of induction cooking hobs, dedicated to some European markets. Since 2022, for side panels and other sheet metals of the new Green Collection refrigerator line, they have used steel characterized by a 70%-lower CO2 footprint than what previously used. Moreover, both the primary component of the insulating foam and all plastic parts of the refrigerating compartment are made with biological-base materials with zero emissions of CO2».
The recycling of PET bottles and fish nets
Beko has enlarged the production of some household appliance components made of recycled material, mainly in washing machines, in refrigerators and in ovens. Three are essentially the material recovery and recycling typologies they carry out: «For about 4 years, we have started manufacturing the inner drums of Beko washing machines with PET bottles, under the steel part, and today the whole medium-high end part of the range features this solution», tells Michela Lucchesini, marketing manager of Beko Italy, «in refrigerators, instead, 50% of the plastics used in some models are bioplastics, then recycled. In ovens, instead, a good part of the thermally insulating material is made of recycled fish nets». Generally, the idea of Beko is trying extending and converting sustainably some industrial solutions to the vast majority of products, obviously according to the real possibility and to products’ characteristics, too. From the more aesthetical point of view, instead, also the design component notably weighs on the product novelties by Beko, which presented at Eurocucina three new aesthetical lines, all in dark shade, according to the trend that involves the whole world of big appliances, in particular built-in models for the kitchen: «The first is called Deep Black», Lucchesini adds, «characterized, in ovens, by very shiny glass, a black mirrored glass, combined with dark sanitized steel finishes, visible in the handle, as well as in the hood and in the hob of the same family. The proposal also includes a semi-built-in dishwasher, without top and plinths, still with mirrored glass. This series will be available on the Italian market towards the end of 2024. The second is called Midnight, a built-in line in anthracite grey colour, characterized by opaque and satin finishes. The materials used are opaque Matt (porcelain stoneware with surface left natural, editor’s note) in contrast with the glass part of the oven, with vintage handle. Opaque gives a more natural effect to touch. The two ovens will be released in 2025 together with two hobs, two hoods, the combined dishwasher and 75-cm refrigerator, with the same opaque finish. Last dark trend for Beko is instead composed by the Dark Inox line: household appliances with finishes made with burnished stainless steel. The glass is matched with chromed-plated steel and burnished stainless steel profiles for ovens, hobs, hoods and dishwashers coordinated with a side by side semi built-in refrigerator».
The use of recycled materials decreases wastes
«Metal is still the material most used to manufacture big appliances», explains Alessandro Labita, Marketing and Communication Director Miele, «due to quality and sustainability reasons, mainly because it is 100 per cent recyclable. In our household appliances, in their whole, both inside and outside, the primary materials used are, besides metals, plastic granules, processing materials and electronic components». The commitment of Miele to sustainability and environmental responsibility is notable: «Focusing on the reduction of emissions, on the rise of the energy efficiency and on the increment of renewable resource use», Labita adds, «Miele is giving a positive example for the sector. The target of increasing the use of recycled plastic within 2025 demonstrates a proactive approach to the reduction of the environmental impact. The embedding of recycled materials into various products and components, like the accessories for vacuum cleaning and packaging, not only aids in decreasing wastes but it also promotes a circular economy. Moreover, the development of innovative solutions, like the floor module injection moulded for dryers by using recycled plastic, demonstrates Miele’s commitment to the efficiency of resources. Winning the TecPart innovation award, in Germany, in 2022, for the expanding additive (or foaming agent, editor’s note) underlines the company’s leadership in sustainable production practices. It is a component used in the production of the injection-moulded floor module for tumble dryers that, in combination with a module optimization, allows saving up to 30% of material, corresponding to several hundred tons of granulate per year». Miele’s emphasis on material-saving components and the exploration of alternative materials, such as the packaging paper, further highlight its commitment to the awareness of the environment along the whole value chain: «Giving priority to the efficiency of resources and to sustainable materials, Miele not only reduces its environmental footprint but it also contributes in a more sustainable future for the sector and for the planet in its whole», Labita ends.
