Electrolux revs up vacuum cleaner made from recycled electronic products

Electrolux has built a vacuum cleaner made from components recycled from used electronic products, as part of an ongoing effort to test ways to increase the percentage of recyled material in its household projects.

The vacuum prototype, developed with Swedish recycling firm Stena Recycling, is made entirely of recycled and reused plastic previously found in hairdryers, vacuum cleaners, and computers, the company said.

The Swedish household appliance firm said the project had allowed it to better understand the lifespan of recycled products and components as it worked towards meeting a target of introducing 50 per cent reycled materials across its product range by 2030.

"This project has highlighted many of the considerations we take into account as we seek to become more circular," said Electrolux head of sustainability Henrik Sundström. "From product design and material use to new business models, there are regulatory requirements as well as quality and safety questions that need to be addressed. We have to strike a good balance in increasing the amount of reused and recycled materials when making products that are optimised for further recycling at the end of life."

Stena Recycling chief executive Kristofer Sundsgård touted the partnership with Electrolux as "a crucial step towards a future where circular materials will play a significant role in manufacturing".

Sweden has the potential to become "a pioneer in circular flows", Sundsgård stressed. "We have the know-how, we have the technically advanced processing plants needed, and we have companies willing to take the lead in circular production," he explained.

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• Topics
• Waste
• Recycling
• R&D
• Circular Economy
• Electrolux