Feature: AMDEA
Manufacturers are making sustainability a priority
Paul Hide, CEO, AMDEA, clearly identifies the improvements of sustainability and safety in manufacturing.
O
ver the last twenty years AMDEA members have achieved vast
reductions in the energy and water consumption of our essential appliances through eco-friendly design and new technologies. With 188 million appliances in the UK’s 28 million homes, the collective performance of all our domestic appliances can make a vital contribution to the nation’s net zero goals. Manufacturers are continuously working to improve sustainability; from design, through manufacture to distribution, as well as packaging, reducing waste and extending lifespan with expert repair, repurposing materials and parts and even refurbishing returned appliances to lend them a second life. Many manufacturers have extensive carbon
reduction programmes in place. They have successfully developed ways to incorporate recycled materials into appliances, while also tackling energy supplies – solar panels or renewables, and zero waste to landfill policies for sites. Long and short-haul transport and packaging – whether pallets or cardboard -is being scrutinised to reduce embedded carbon. Manufacturers are also working to increase longevity – average lifespans for large appliances are already well in excess of over 10 years, some can expect twenty years or more of useful life. Making repairs and refurbishment easier through technology and ensuring the availability of spare parts is a priority for appliance manufacturers. And at end of the maximum useful life, ensuring that materials can be recovered is also of vital importance. AMDEA and its members are leaders in the Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) scheme, regulated by the UK Government, which aims to maximise recycled materials and to minimise the amount of unwanted electricals incinerated or sent to landfill. The industry funds WEEE processing to recover materials from old appliances when new ones are purchased. It also funds information programmes encouraging correct recycling of unwanted electricals through Material Focus’s Recycle Your Electricals - WEEE Recycling - Material Focus campaigns.
Winter 2024
Safety is an overriding principle for manufacturers, who adhere to all UK and international safety standards. Significant progress has been made in introducing new, smart technology which not only allows for sophisticated appliance settings and remote appliance control, but also can permit remote diagnostics, providing early alerts to any faults and even prompts households on wiser usage.
Every January AMDEA launches its Register
My Appliance campaign to encourage appliance owners to register their appliances for safety updates and recalls. Retailers have a role in encouraging customers to register their appliances at purchase and can point customers to the Register My Appliance website Home - Register My Appliance where they can find the registration pages for their brand. It remains true that 80% of the emissions from most appliances occur during use, and retailers can advise customers how to buy and use machines efficiently to contribute to lowering water and energy usage. Modern appliance development is driven by eco-design, with sustainability and performance going hand-in-hand. When designing products AMDEA Members focus on both reducing environmental impact and improving energy efficiency, to cut greenhouse gas emissions. They do this by investing generously in research and development, always aiming to exceed regulatory standards. Water and energy usage labels for many
PEOPLE MAKE THE DIFFERENCE
appliances have been in place for thirty years, and in 2021 the ratings were recalibrated as the vast majority of appliances were significantly more efficient than the highest ‘A’ rating. As a result of our members continually developing technology to increase water and energy efficiency, we are fast approaching a position where the majority of washing machines sold will already meet the new, much tougher A rating for water and energy use. And in-home efficiency has meant today’s fridge freezers typically use half the energy of a 20-year-old model of comparable size. Retailers can help, not only through enabling consumers to make informed purchasing choices but also through helping customers use their appliances in the most sustainable way. Know Watts What – AMDEA , AMDEA’s award- winning consumer campaign launched in 2022, alerts millions of householders to the ways in which they can minimise energy and water use and care for them to prolong their appliances’ life. The website includes tips on how to maximise energy and water efficiency, as well as a ‘Repairs and Spares’ directory portal which takes householders straight to manufacturers spare parts websites. AMDEA Chief Executive Paul Hide says: “We all
need to think about the environment, including when buying and using appliances. The industry is hard at work lessening its carbon footprint as you can see on our website Sustainability – AMDEA. Retailers can help their customers to save money whilst minimising environmental impacts by highlighting the most efficient appliances in their price range.”
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