Global appliance company Electrolux developed a refrigerator prototype where all visible plastic parts are made of bioplastics from renewable sources in a move to create more sustainable home appliances.
Bioplastic materials found in refrigerators has more than 80% lower carbon footprint compared to the conventional plastics used today.?Unlike ordinary plastics that are oil-based, bioplastics used in the newly developed prototype refrigerator come directly from renewable resources, such as corn or sugarcane, and are recyclable.
Together with the Electrolux Purchasing and Research and Development (R&D) departments for food preservation, Global Connectivity and Technology Center(GC&T) has successfully developed a refrigerator prototype where all the visible plastic parts are made of bioplastics.
The material used in the refrigerator has been provided by world-leading supplier of biopolymers NatureWorks. The bioplastic for the refrigerator has 80% lower carbon dioxide equivalent emissions compared to the conventional plastic used in current fridges.
?We are very excited and proud to have developed the world?s first bioplastic concept fridge, which is truly groundbreaking. Our ambition is to develop even more innovative, sustainable home appliances that we might see on the market in the future,? Electrolux chief operations officer Jan Brockmann said.
The bioplastic refrigerator is still in development and there is currently no timeframe set for when the product will be officially launched on the market.
Electrolux has produced materials efficiency through the use of post-consumer recycled plastics, such as Carborec, a plastic compound based on recycled polypropylene, extending the lifetime of plastic coming from non-renewable resources.
