Indesit Uses Waste Materials to Make Greener Washing Machines Nov 20, 2008

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Appliance maker Indesit has been working with the government-funded Waste & Recycling Action Plan (WRAP) and Axion Recycling to find ways where waste material can be recycled and used on a large scale in its washing machines.

The company is now sourcing plastics from waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) produced in the UK and using it for the front plates in two of its top-end Hotpoint washing machines -- the Aquarius and Ultima.

The material has been produced using shredded plastic waste recovered from domestic refrigerators and made into a high-grade polymer that has a similar weight to the virgin plastic it is replacing.
As a result, Indesit says the CO2 emissions, cumulative cost, and raw material savings from the activity are significant.

Mike Birch, environment manager at Indesit, said: "Having successfully completed the trial, we now plan to roll out the innovation to a range of our washing machines and washer dryers that are produced each year. The cumulative cost and raw material savings will be significant. For us the improved price was an enabler to help deliver a project with environmental benefits - we felt it was the right thing to do. We are now considering how further environmental improvements and savings can be made by using recycled content within other components and parts, throughout our manufacturing operation."

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