Panasonic launches recycling program for personal-care devices
Image credit: Panasonic
On Wednesday, at the 2023 Consumer Electronics Show
(CES) in Las Vegas, Panasonic announced
its new Take Back for
Tomorrow program to
promote recycling of electronic personal care devices such as shavers and
trimmers, which represent a huge opportunity to recycle components that would
otherwise end up in landfills.
Today, over 88 million US consumers use an electric shaver or trimmer. Due to a
lack of adequate recycling infrastructure, most of these devices are destined
for landfills — wasting an opportunity to recycle the batteries, metals and
other still viable materials inside. Panasonic's program aims to start diverting
this e-waste to an important input stream for a more circular supply chain — and
pay consumers to do it.
To participate, owners of electric or battery shavers or trimmers sign up at
PanasonicMultiShape.com. Panasonic covers
the costs for shipping the end-of-life product with partner
ERI by generating a pre-paid label for consumers to
easily pack and ship the device for recycling.
Panasonic's goal with this program is to advance circularity within its US
supply chain, where components from its consumer electronics — starting with
personal care devices — are recycled by ERI. All lithium-ion batteries in these
devices are sent to Redwood Materials — a
company creating a closed-loop, domestic supply chain for lithium-ion batteries
across collection, refurbishment, recycling, refining and remanufacturing of
sustainable battery materials — which will then recycle and remanufacture metals
into anode and cathode components for Panasonic's electric vehicle (EV)
batteries. The companies recently
announced that recycled
cathode active materials from Redwood will be used in lithium-ion batteries to
be manufactured at Panasonic's new EV battery facility under construction in
De Soto, Kansas, starting in 2025.
ERI's nationwide footprint helps reduce shipping and make the program more
carbon efficient. The companies are joined by MRM —
which will help manage the overall program, including recycling coordination and
recycler auditing, to ensure it contributes to the companies' shared
sustainability goals.
"We are proud to partner with ERI, Redwood Materials and MRM on this pilot
program to help save personal care products from landfills." said Walter
Taffarello, Director of
Appliance and Beauty Merchandise at Panasonic. "Disassembly and then recycling
or reusing all the parts of end-of-life products is essential to protecting
natural resources. Together, we can work toward a more sustainable, circular
future where nothing is wasted, but rather repurposed for another use."
Individuals who participate and send in an eligible device will receive 30
percent off the purchase of a new Panasonic MultiShape device.
The modular MultiShape personal grooming device itself is an example of the
company's commitment to sustainability, and an example of its Panasonic GREEN
IMPACT
initiative coming to life in its product design. Panasonic MultiShape is the
first integrated grooming system on the market. Its modular design is centered
around a "base unit" handle containing the battery and motor that powers an
array of interchangeable attachments — including a variety of trimmer, shaver
and toothbrush options. A single MultiShape can replace multiple independent
electronic devices, representing a more sustainable choice compared to using
several electronic devices – giving people the chance to eliminate duplication
of motors, rechargeable batteries, and power adaptors.
Samsung delivers next-gen home energy-efficiency solutions, laundry cycle that eliminates microplastic pollution
Image credit: Samsung
Meanwhile, also on Wednesday, Samsung Electronics
unveiled an array of consumer home innovations designed to bring about a new era
of sustainable living.
“The technologies we’re unveiling at CES 2023 place sustainability at the core
of the user experience,” said Moohyung Lee, EVP and Head of the R&D Team of
the Digital Appliances Business at Samsung. “Our ambition is to become the
most energy-efficient appliance brand globally; and our latest products and
partnerships will help make sustainable living a reality for more people and
more communities.”
SmartThings maximizes energy savings
With an estimated 80 million connected devices, Samsung’s
SmartThings platform continues to expand while
unlocking more ways for users to reduce their carbon footprint at home. Samsung
announced that SmartThings Energy’s AI Energy Mode now offers users up to 15
percent more savings for compatible refrigerators, up to 20 percent for
compatible air conditioners, and up to 35 percent for compatible washers on
select cycles.
The company’s efforts to enrich and expand SmartThings Energy have led the US
EPA to award Samsung the industry’s first mass-market Smart Home Energy
Management Systems (SHEMS)
certification,
which recognizes smart home appliances and services that manage and automate
connected devices to give consumers insights into their energy use — inspiring
energy-saving behavior, reducing costs and helping to facilitate demand response
measures that minimize stress on the grid. The EPA has also awarded base model
Samsung home appliances 260 Energy Star® certifications, including 43 “Most
Efficient” recognitions.
Net-zero homes closer to reality
To enable more people to enjoy energy independence at home, Samsung also
unveiled the next phase of its net-zero home initiative: the Smart City
Project. Working with Sterling Ranch and
its long-time technology partner
Siemens, the Smart City Project will
help establish Sterling Ranch as a master-planned sustainable housing community
designed to house 30,000 residents in Littleton, Colorado.
SmartThings Energy will serve as the residents’ primary interactive app to
monitor data, with Samsung appliances offering residents real-time insights on
their energy, water and natural gas use. Throughout the community, solar panels
and household batteries will produce and store energy, while energy-efficient
appliances reduce power and monitor water use to save resources.
‘Less Microfiber’ technology reduces microplastics in laundry
While reducing the impact of devices and homes is vital to creating a
sustainable future, other clear and present risks to the environment demand our
attention. For over a year, Samsung and
Patagonia have been
collaborating
to address the challenge of microplastics shedding during the laundry
process
and polluting oceans and other bodies of water — the result: Samsung’s new
Less Microfiber Cycle and Filter.
A breakthrough in the fight against microplastics — which are shed when
synthetic fabrics such as fleece and polyester are washed — Samsung says the
Less Microfiber Cycle cuts microplastic emissions by up to 54 percent.^[1]^ Now
available in Europe, the cycle will roll out to compatible washers in
Korea from February this year and in the US soon.
Along with the Less Microfiber Cycle, Samsung and Patagonia’s Less Microfiber
Filter prevents microplastic particles from escaping into the ocean at the end
of wash cycles. It will be available in select Samsung washing machines in
Europe beginning in the second half of 2023; it will also be available for
purchase separately and applied to any washer on the market, regardless of
brand.
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Sustainable Brands Staff
Published Jan 5, 2023 7am EST / 4am PST / 12pm GMT / 1pm CET