Electrolux looks to turn plastic islands into vacuum cleaners

by ClickGreen staff. Published Wed 30 Jun 2010 22:14, Last updated: 2010-06-30

Vac from the Sea - Design sketch of concept vacuum

Electrolux, the world's second largest home appliance maker, has announced it will start recovering quantities of plastic from floating garbage islands in the Pacific, Atlantic and Indian oceans, and use the material to manufacture six showcase vacuum cleaners.

The Swedish firm said the vacuum cleaners will not be sold, but used to bring attention to the issues of plastic pollution and the scarcity of recycled plastics needed for making sustainable home appliances.

"There are plastic islands, some several times the size of the state of Texas, floating in our oceans. Yet on land, we struggle to get hold of enough recycled plastics to meet the demand for sustainable vacuum cleaners," said Cecilia Nord, an Electrolux vice president.

“This issue is much too important to leave to politicians. Companies, consumers and politicians are equally accountable for the situation. Since our company delivers appliances to millions of homes, we have an opportunity to raise awareness and affect consumer decisions,

The "Vac from the Sea" initiative will gather plastic by diving for it or scooping it up from waves.

Electrolux said more plastic needs to be reused in order to keep it out of the world's oceans, but also consumer perceptions over plastic recycling also must improve to lift uncertainties surrounding the supply of recycled materials.

“More recycling directly translates into more sustainable appliances and homes. Our engineers have managed to get our green range vacuum cleaners up to 70 percent recycled plastic but our ultimate vision is of course 100 percent, and for all ranges," added Jonas Magnusson, product marketing manager at Electrolux.

The main barrier to taking the next step and increase the share of recycled plastic in home appliances is the uncertain supply of recycled raw material. Much research and progress is currently being done by the recycling industry. However, to fix the imbalance in supply and demand and get the cycle working, overall consumer perception must change and barriers to recycling become lower.