Arçelik Calls For Industry to Lead on Plastic Waste at IFA 2019

Arçelik's IFA keynote announces a raft of innovations to benefit consumers and the environment, calling for cross industry collaboration to increase the adoption of sustainable technologies that tackle some of the biggest environmental issues the world is facing

BERLIN, Sept. 9, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Arçelik, parent company to 12 leading home appliance brands, including two of Europe's largest, Beko and Grundig, announced at IFA 2019 its commitment to make its microfiber filtering technology available to competitors in the home appliances industry. The landmark announcement was made by Arçelik CEO Hakan Bulgurlu during his keynote address.

The company has developed the world's first washing machine with a built-in synthetic microfiber filtration system, which is planned to be rolled out in market in 2020. More than one million of fibers are flushed down the drain and end up in the oceans after every single washing load. These microfibers are then swallowed by fish and other marine animals and have now found their way into our food chain. The new technology will block 90% of microfibers from entering the water sources, with the filtration box located in the detergent drawer filtering the water before discharge.

In his keynote speech Arçelik CEO Hakan Bulgurlu called for closer industry partnerships and is ready to share its new cutting edge technology for the greater good. Bulgurlu asserted that humanity faces a global crisis by damaging and destroying the environment at a quicker rate than it can regenerate itself. "As a company with a global footprint, with products and services in 146 countries, we made it our mission to do everything within our power to make a change as time is running out in the fight against environmental disasters, most importantly climate catastrophe. That's why we believe creating a value through reducing the environmental damage that we are causing as an industry is a key opportunity we should seize" Bulgurlu said.

Purpose-driven businesses will always outperform their peers

Bulgurlu stated that consumers are not only actively looking for products that address these global and environmental issues — they are willing to pay more for them too. "This reaffirms the idea that purpose-driven businesses will always outperform their peers in the long term. At Arçelik, we are committed to building purposeful brands and strive to differentiate ourselves with products and technologies that endorse sustainability as we focus on efficient use of resources and circular economic solutions, such as the microfiber filtration technology. This technology is one of the most important innovations to come out of Arçelik and it has the potential to create far-reaching and significant change in our world. We have made significant investments in R&D and we are keen on working together with NGOs, universities and other stakeholders to expand this project," said Bulgurlu to the audience at IFA on September 7, while inviting home appliances companies to adopt and embrace this technology.