On the third day of our visit to IFA 2022(opens in new tab), we had front-row seats for Hakan Bulgurlu, CEO of Arçelik, to deliver the keynote address. We anticipated hearing the vision for resolving some of the most serious issues confronting humanity, as well as news of a new water-saving innovation, for which we were all ears. The room was very packed.
The largest maker of home appliances in the world, Arçelik is the parent business of 12 brands, including Beko and Grundig. You may have noticed that Beko, as well as large appliances, and Grundig are paving the way for sustainable innovation in Europe with the personal care and household appliance categories. These products include some of the best coffee makers(opens in new tab) and best vacuum cleaners(opens in new tab) in the UK.
Early on in the presentation, it became obvious that the parent firm is pushing sustainability in both product creation and manufacturing. The use of electric motors, air conditioners, refrigeration, and lights accounts for 40% of all worldwide power use, which is a significant amount of energy for our everyday appliances.
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(Future image credit)
The Beko SaveWater series of appliances, which includes a dishwasher and washing machine/tumble dryer combo, is the new innovation that was introduced but is not yet available for purchase.
When compared to Beko dishwashers with the same energy level and capacity but without SaveWater technology, the dishwasher uses only 6.9 litres of water to efficiently wash a full load. This function helps homes save 2.6 litres of water with each wash when using the Eco programme by collecting water from the last rinse phase of the dishwashing cycle and storing it hygienically and safely in the machine's specially constructed water tank.
The washing machine and tumble dryer set also emphasise the reuse of water. Water collected during the drying cycle is sent directly into the washing machine to be used in the subsequent washing cycle when used in conjunction with suitable Beko washing machines. Each drying cycle will produce up to 5.2 litres of water, which will be carefully stored and used to fill the washing machine.
It is quite clever. We had never seen anything like this at IFA 2022, and we were so amazed that we gave it the TechRadar IFA Award for Best Large Appliance.
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We spent some time at the Grundig booth after the lecture. According to its tagline, "It starts at home," the business wants to encourage everyday action in the search of a better future through items that support sustainability without sacrificing quality. The displays used a lot of brown hue, flecked with green, which immediately made us feel like we were close to nature.
The VCR 6270 and VCR 7230, two new models, were added to the top robot vacuum cleaners category. These were Grundig's first robotic vacuum cleaners, and the only distinction between them was that the 7230 had a self-emptying container. As with the hair dryer we saw(opens in new tab), we would have loved to have been able to offer to evaluate one of these floor cleaning devices, but sadly, it isn't accessible to review or purchase in the UK.
The Grundig VCC 7170 Eco was the same in this respect. Although the canister vacuum cleaner may not appear to be anything extraordinary, 52% of the plastic used in its construction was recycled. We found this to be quite refreshing and would like to see more of this kind of creative thought.
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The sustainability of Arçelik's future
The Arçelik team has a definite plan of action, which is to be more sustainable in all they do. Sustainability is acknowledged to be more crucial than ever. Customers are searching for brands that reassure and provide them a sense of security.
Sustainability has long been included into Arçelik's company strategy, and it now forms the foundation of all they do. For instance, they plan to increase the amount of recycled plastic content to 40% and bio-based content to 5% in all of their products, reduce energy consumption and water withdrawal per product by 45%, and achieve net-zero emissions in all operations by 2050 through green investments in renewable energy (compared to the 2015 base year).
Ragip Balcolu, Chief Commercial Officer at Arçelik, confirmed these objectives and discussed how becoming more sustainable can help alleviate the problem in the cost of living that we are currently experiencing.
Arçelik's main goal is to increase consumer (you, our readers) access to sustainable, energy-efficient products. In 2021, they allocated €93 million ($92.5 million, £80.4 million, or $AU 135.9 million) for research and development. They will keep innovating while paying attention to the demands of their customers and the environment.
TechRadar is in Berlin for IFA 2022, Europe's largest tech expo, to bring you all the latest news and announcements as well as our firsthand experiences with the new TVs, wearables, audio equipment, and other gadgets on display.
