Basically, Electrolux will gather plastic from the world’s oceans and turn it into vacuum cleaners. The initiative, called “Vac from the Sea”, aims to bring attention to the issue of plastic pollution in the world’s oceans and at the same time combat the scarcity of recycled plastics needed for making sustainable home appliances.

“The Pacific Ocean is polluted with the largest floating garbage islands in the world, some 2kms long. There are other plastic islands, some several times the size of the state of Texas, floating in our oceans. Yet on land, we struggle to get hold of enough recycled plastics to meet the demand for sustainable vacuum cleaners”, says Julian Huitfeldt, Electrolux Product Marketing Manager, Floor Care and Small Appliances, and Green Ambassador for the APMEA region (Asia Pacific, Middle East and Africa.

Electrolux will make a limited number of vacuum cleaners from plastic debris taken from the Pacific, as well as the Indian Ocean, Atlantic, Mediterranean, Baltic and North Sea.  Plus, anyone interested in the issue can follow the program’s progress and find inspiration on how to get involved by visiting the Facebook page.

“Techniques for harvesting the plastic will vary depending on location – from diving after it to scooping it up from the waves. We will work together with volunteers and experts that live close or work with this problem”, says Julian.

As one of the world’s greatest appliance manufacturers, Electrolux supplies their products to millions of homes, so it’s only natural they are concerned with getting more plastic into the cycle and out of the ocean.

“More recycling directly translates into more sustainable appliances and homes. Our engineers have managed to get our green range vacuum cleaners up to 70 percent recycled plastic but our ultimate vision is of course 100 percent, and for all ranges”, says Julian.

 Concept vacuum

One problem the initiative will face in their quest to increase the share of recycled plastic in home appliances is the uncertain supply of recycled raw material.  Much research and progress is currently being done by the recycling industry. However, to fix the imbalance in supply and demand and get the cycle working, overall consumer perception must change and barriers to recycling become lower.

“Companies, consumers and politicians are equally accountable for this important situation. And as our company delivers appliances to millions of homes, we have an opportunity to raise awareness and affect consumer decisions”, says Julian.

Whatever challenges this initiative will face, it’s great to see such innovative steps being taken to raise awareness of and contribute to fixing the problem with plastic pollution of our world’s oceans.

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