Electrolux is an early advocate of producer responsibility. We were among the first in our industry to identify the business case for recycling and lobby actively for individual responsibility.
In the US, major home appliances make up about 10 percent of all the steel processed by the recycling industry. 2.1 million tons of steel recovered from recycled appliances conserves more than 2 million tons of iron ore, nearly 1.5 million tons of coal and 126,000 tons of limestone. (US Appliance Recycling Information Center)
Recycling is regulated on the state level in the US. California is paving the way with strict regulation on recycling electronic waste. The EU’s new approach is a framework applicable to all member states. The EU’s WEEE-Directive is a legal framework effective as of August 2005. It requires all producers of electronic equipment to organize the disposal, recycling, recovery or reuse of goods put on the market. Since 20 million Electrolux products are sold annually in Europe, this Directive has an impact on the way we do business.
We work closely with other proactive corporations to find sustainably and economically sound solutions to recycling. In 2004 and together with Sony, Hewlett Packard and Braun, Electrolux established the European Recycling Platform, ERP, the first pan-European platform for managing waste products.
Design for recycling emphasizes the use of pure plastics and the importance of reducing hazardous chemicals. Electrolux runs recycling tests and uses recycling software tools to help product development optimize product recyclability. Component placement also improves disassembly. In our products, it is primarily plastics and metals that are recycled.
If you wish more detailed information on recycling, review the related pages at the right hand side of the screen.
