November 2021
ertonline.co.uk
Slow fashion campaigner, Venetia La Manna, is working with AEG
This last point has been evidenced most
recently by AEG (part of the Electrolux group) with the launch of its new Pre-Loved with Care campaign – encouraging people to buy at least one item of pre-loved clothing in place of something new this winter, helping to change the fashion throwaway culture. In the UK alone, around 350,000 tonnes of
clothing will go into landfill every year. But the brand teamed up with slow fashion campaigner, Venetia La Manna, to curate an exclusive collection of timeless, pre-loved pieces from One Scoop Store. Not only are all items pre-owned, cutting out the use of the thousands of litres of water that’s required to make a brand new garment, but they’ve also been washed with care in an AEG 9000 series washing machine before being shipped to their new home. Through the campaign, AEG hopes to inspire
people to live a greener lifestyle, by understanding the role washing machines can play in keeping clothes out of landfill. The AEG 9000, for example, has built-in SoftWater Technology that extends the life of clothing and helps reduce carbon, waste and water footprints by 20-30 per cent each. “Yes we want consumers to consider buying
pre-loved clothes, but actually we want them to care for their clothes in a way that will help them to last longer,” says Luke Harding, General Manager of Electrolux UK and Ireland. Talking about how this campaign feeds in to
Electrolux’s overall ambitions, ERT’s Jack Cheeseman sat down with Mr Harding for this exclusive interview. He says it’s all about educating consumers to make their wardrobe more sustainable. And AEG will be offering special laundry tips to help people think about their use of appliances. “All this information is out there on multiple
channels and our socials,” Mr Harding explains, “but from a retailer perspective they are our mouthpiece, communicating with consumers directly, and this is a crucial way for us to reach them.” In 2018, Electrolux was one of the first
companies worldwide to establish fully-approved science-based targets to reduce absolute CO2 emissions by 80 per cent in operations; it has already been cut by over 70 per cent. Also, in 2019, Electrolux President, Jonas Samuelson, joined the Climate Action Summit in New York to pledge net zero emissions throughout the supply chain and the full value chain to help bring down global temperatures to 1.5 degrees. More recently, the manufacturer signed a letter with 600 companies calling on the G20 leaders to take action. “Sustainability has always been part of our DNA,”
Mr Harding continues. “We are a leading voice and we have a unique position to lead by example. We are driving very hard across all areas of the business and our forward strategy is very clear. “It starts from the root of the company, but it
doesn’t end with us; ultimately our appliances end up in consumers’ homes and we want to continue our impact even post-purchase and help consumers take action now.”
Q&A
Q: How important is it for your sustainability messages to reach the end consumer? Luke Harding: Consumers are citing sustainability as a key attribute they look for more and more in the products they purchase. Our research shows that over 50 per cent of consumers consider themselves climate conscious and they believe they can have a positive impact on climate change. At the same time, almost 30 per cent of consumers don’t quite understand how they can make a difference, or they don’t have the knowledge about appliances. As a brand we feel the responsibility to impart
our expertise through the consumer chain, and working with our retail partners we have a key role to play to pass the key information on – through training and detailed product information on AEG appliances and how consumers can live more sustainably. Q: Electrolux aims to reduce carbon emissions in its operations. How will you achieve that? LH: We are already well on track to achieve this. Since 2015 we have reduced our emissions in production by 70 per cent; by 2025 we are committed to getting to 80 per cent. But the work never ends! We are making changes in every facet of our business across the globe.
One of our other key targets is to use 50 per
cent recycled plastic by 2030. The materials we use as a manufacturer are extremely important, so it’s not just about reducing the use of virgin plastic but ramping up the use of recycled materials. And you’ll see some big moves from us in that area in the coming months and years. Elsewhere, it is important to us that our
products are can be maintained with spare parts and servicing so they don’t always end up in landfill. And we welcome the Right to Repair legislation that came out earlier this year that supports this.
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