An interesting project was born from the collaboration between Electrolux and Stena Recycling, both engaged in carrying on circular economy and sustainable paths.
Stena Recycling collects discarded electric consumer products and breaks them down into raw materials for new products or for energy recovery. Electrolux is joining forces with this organization for the new ‘Circular Initiative’ to build understanding of what needs to be done to pave the way towards a more circular society.
To kick-start this, Electrolux and Stena came together with Swedish companies ABB, Combitech and Stora Enso for the first annual Circular Initiative event, held last 27 June, where they shared challenges, experiences and opportunities in order to develop improved recycling technologies.
The initiative also included an innovative pilot project together with Stena, ABB and Combitech: a smart robot in a new facility will disassemble vacuum cleaners from Electrolux and identify recyclable fractions. The collaboration will give Electrolux a better understanding of how to close the recycling loop in large-scale manufacturing, building products from recycled materials that can also be recycled in the most efficient way. As part of the project, Electrolux intends to develop a concept vacuum cleaner that is 100% recyclable and made from 100% recycled plastics. «Electrolux – Jan Brockmann, the company chief operations officer explained – has focused on sustainability for many years, but there is more work to be done to think circularly about everything we do. It covers everything from product design to which materials we use, as well as new business models. We look forward to learning more and contributing to a more circular society through this collaboration. Our ambition is to significantly increase the amount of recycled plastics in our products, and we will soon introduce new targets for 2030.»