Electrolux has launched www.electrolux.com/WaterSavings, a website where everyone can calculate how much water could be saved in households, cities and 22 European countries if modern dishwashers were used as opposed to washing dirty dishes by hand. At www.electrolux.com/WaterSavings_US, the website comes in a US version.
Electrolux most efficient dishwasher consumes 2.27 liters of water to wash a daily number of dishes. Conversely, an average of 10.5 liters of water is consumed per person per day when washing the equivalent amounts of dishes by hand, according to 2009 findings from the University of Bonn, Germany. This makes it possible to save more than 990 million m3 of fresh water a year in Europe, if all its residents made the switch from manual to automated cleaning. That is enough to provide Denmark with water for a year.
UNESCO’s World Water Development Report indicates that by 2023, the quantity of fresh water available to everyone will have decreased by 33%. Already in Europe today, an estimated 41 million people do not have access to safe drinking water and 85 million people lack access to basic sanitation.
Electrolux commitment to reducing unnecessary water consumption follows a recent EU report suggesting Europe should use water more efficiently to avoid the worst impacts of water shortages. www.electrolux.com/WaterSavings is designed to empower consumers so they can make smart resource choices and dispel some myths.
“A lot of people have the misconception that the ease of using a dishwasher comes at the expense of consuming huge amounts of water and energy when, in fact, the opposite is true,” says Henrik Sundström, head of Sustainability affairs at the Electrolux Group.
“Coupled with the importance of energy efficiency, appliances can help consumers save water. This is increasingly becoming an imperative across many of the Group’s markets. In addition to this, one should also add the time and money saved. Since there is less water to heat up, less energy is also needed,” Sundström continues.
“We want to underline that everyone has a role to play in facing the challenge of water scarcity. By adopting energy and water-lean technologies consumers can make eco-smart choices part of their daily life. Through legislation and implementing programs, policymakers can give consumers guidance and the incentive to go energy and water-smart,” Sundström concludes.
For information on how much energy, water and money could be saved and CO2 emissions reduced if everyone changed their more than 10 year old appliances, to new efficient ones, please visit www.electrolux.com/EcoSavings and www.electrolux.com/EcoSavings_US.
For further information contact Electrolux Media Hotline on +46 8 657 65 07.
