Whirlpool unveils a sustainable future

“Progress is out; evolution is in.” These were the words of Jozeph Forakis, strategic design consultant and one of the expert panellists at the European launch of Whirlpool’s Green Kitchen – a kitchen eco-system concept that will help consumers to enjoy the benefits of adapting, reducing and recycling. The system works by integrating appliances to optimise the use of heat and water, which is said to increase energy efficiency by up to 70%.
This modular concept sees a family of appliances – with everything from cooling shelves and insulated hob top bowl to a Herbarium and wall-mounted filtered water dispenser – sharing water and heat to reduce overall water and energy consumption. The Herbarium for instance would re-use humidity from the cooker hood to enable the user to grow plants and herbs all year round, while the fridge compressor would re-use its residual heat to heat recycled water in the dishwasher.
Whirlpool are hoping to bring the concept to market by 2010 but Alessandro Finetto, director of global consumer design for Whirlpool Europe, told IER that a more realistic approach might be to introduce the idea step by step.