BETTER Living
Make clothes last twice as long with half the environmental impact
We can further contribute to more sustainable laundry practices by incorporating innovative solutions that increase laundry efficiency and improve garment care. We can also promote modern laundry habits and change consumer perceptions of clothes for the better.
Our promise
Electrolux has the objective to make clothes last longer and reduce the environmental impact of garment care while caring for all fabrics.
Read more about our progress on this Promise
Roadmap 2020 to 2030
- Help consumers maximize the life of their clothes and help them better care for their clothes in general.
- Assist in reducing environmental impact during garment care.
The case for action
The fashion and footwear industry combined is responsible for around 8% of global greenhouse gas emissions.
At the same time, the number of garments we purchase has increased by 400% in the past 20 years. Research shows that extending the lifespan of clothing by an extra nine months by taking better care of clothes can reduce carbon, waste and water footprints by between 20% and 30%.
Water scarcity around the world is an increasing issue with 14 out of 20 of the world’s largest cities already experiencing inadequate supplies and two-thirds of the world’s population expected to live in water-stressed areas by 2025. In the home, the average daily water consumption per person is up to 500 liters in some developed countries, and laundry is typically responsible for 22% of water used in a typical home in the U.S.
According to our consumer research summarized in the 2019 Better Living Report, 69% of consumers agree that increasing the lifespan of garments by taking care of them is the most sustainable practice. However, people often practice outdated laundry care due to a lack of knowledge, time or lack of access to laundry appliances with the most optimal functions. Consumers are also unwilling to change their behavior for fear of ruining clothes or not getting them properly clean.
Read more in the Electrolux Better Living Report.
Our approach
Consumers need intuitive laundry appliance functions that help them to best care for their clothes in a more sustainable way, as well as help to improve their laundry behavior. This will help them to extend the lifetime of garments, promote more sustainable laundry behavior and overcome the fear of damaging clothes or not getting them clean.
Longer lasting clothes
We continue to move toward more modern garment care technology, that is gentle on fabrics and preserves their quality. We also build partnerships to inspire more people to practice better fashion consumption and care – so everyone can learn to love their clothes for longer.
Reduce the environmental impact of garment care
We have long worked to reduce the environmental impact of garment care by making our washers and dryers increasingly energy and water efficient (read more in our Promise Lead in energy and resource efficient solutions). Going forward, we will continue to develop technologies that optimize laundry processes, which reduce environmental impact. We will also guide and inspire people to choose the optimal way of caring for their clothes. By working with partners, we hope to drive this change on a global level.
Care for all fabrics
We raise consumer awareness of new care methods with the aim of ensuring that more fabrics can be cared for at home while minimizing environmental impact. To instill this change on a global level, we look to build partnerships with fashion industry experts. By working together, we hope to create new standards for how to care for clothes, and methods that are gentler both on clothes and the planet.
Read more at Better Living Program.
Challenges
- Reaching consumers with new information, and changing long-standing outdated consumer laundry habits.
- Increasing the uptake of new innovations in solutions that provide opportunities for consumers to practice more sustainable laundry care.
The progress on our promise
How we measure progress
We are in the process of developing this new promise and how we measure our progress in terms of new products, solutions, campaigns and partnerships to promote more sustainable garment care.
Products and solutions for better garment care
We offer a variety of washing machines and driers that help consumers to take better care of their clothes – to make them last longer while reducing environmental impact. Recent examples include:
- ColourCare washing machines – our ColourCare system treats the water in a way that optimizes the detergent even in cold water. Washing in cooler temperatures helps clothes retain their color for longer and reduces energy use.
- SteamCare washing machines – the SteamCare system allows consumers to refresh their clothes when they do not need a full wash, which uses over 90% less water compared to a complete washing cycle. By reducing wrinkles it also decreases the need for ironing, which together with avoiding unnecessary washing, contributes to making clothes last longer.
- CycloneCare driers – the CycloneCare system includes innovative 3DSense technology, which scans deep into fabrics to ensure accurate drying. The technology prevents over drying and maintains the appearance and thermal insulation in down jackets up to 30% better than air drying for example.
- DelicateCare driers – our DelicateCare system adapts the temperature and drum movement to suit specific fabrics, which means that even wool keeps its shape and waterproof garments retain their function.
Guiding consumers on fabric care
We engage with consumers to help them to look after their clothes in the best possible way. For example:
- My Electrolux app with Care Advisor – the app for mobile devices advises consumers on the best way to wash their particular clothing items to help prevent damaging fabrics. Care Advisor considers the kind of clothes and stains, and sends the optimal wash program and detergents directly to the washing machine.
Garment care campaigns
We run campaigns to inspire consumers to better care for their clothes and reduce water use. For example:
- Make it last – designed to inspire consumers to better care for their clothes to give them a longer life. The campaign was our first pan-regional campaign and includes branded websites with inspiration and care tips for consumers to modernize their laundry habits and choose more sustainable options. Make it last is built on our knowledge and the specific innovations available in our various markets.
- 50L home – a partnership between global brands and NGOs launched in October 2020. The initiative aims to reimagine how we use water in our homes to inspire and enable lifestyle changes while advancing solutions to address water efficiency, reuse and even removal in some cases. It aims to instill the importance of responsible water consumption and to make 50 liters of daily water use per person a reality. Read more on the 50L Home campaign website.
Next steps
| Roadmap 2020 to 2030 | Next steps | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Help consumers maximize the life of their clothes and help them better care for their clothes in general. | Continue to deliver products, solutions and campaigns that help consumers take better care of their clothes. | dot2 |
| Assist in reducing environmental impact during garment care. | Continue to deliver products, solutions and campaigns that help consumers to reduce the environmental impact of their laundry behavior. | dot2 |
On track
Additional effort is required
Off track
Work has not yet begun
Electrolux
Electrolux is a leading global appliance company that has shaped living for the better for more than 100 years. We reinvent taste, care and wellbeing experiences for millions of people around the world, always striving to be at the forefront of sustainability in society through our solutions and operations. Under our brands, including Electrolux, AEG and Frigidaire, we sell approximately 60 million household products in approximately 120 markets every year. In 2019 Electrolux had sales of SEK 119 billion and employed 49,000 people around the world.
S:t Göransgatan 143
SE-105 45 Stockholm, Sweden