UPCYCLED APPLIANCES MAKING A MEASURABLE DIFFERENCE TO THE ENVIRONMENT

We are all beginning to look more closely at our carbon footprint and what we can do to reduce it. So, as Upcycled Appliances approaches the milestone of 5000 appliances reconditioned and around 350 tons of material not consigned to scrap, here are a few things you might want to ponder:

Only about 40% of the carbon footprint of an appliance comes from its use over an average of its 7 year life. Just short of 60% of its carbon footprint comes from manufacture and distribution of its components, assembly and onward distribution to the point of sale. ​

IRECYCLED VS RECONDITIONED

If you thought you were “recycling” your old machine, you may not have realised that the concrete, rubber plastic and wood used to manufacture it isn’t getting recycled. Only the metal components, typically less than 50% of the average 70kg washing machine’s weight gets recycled. ​

While the energy saving from recycling metal rather than extracting it from the earth is huge (70% for iron and 90% for aluminium), the energy saving from not recycling an item and making it fit for purpose again makes recycling a very poor second choice. With almost no component manufacture, distribution, end product assembly or onward distribution, the reconditioning process removes over 90% of the carbon footprint of manufacturing. Your reconditioned appliance saves more that 50% of the carbon footprint of buying and using a new one.

LET’S DO THE MATHS

It’s hard to do the maths when it comes to a carbon footprint for an appliance. Some people tumble dry, some don’t, some use 30 degree washes, some 60 degrees But a generous underestimate for a load of washing is a frightening 1kg of CO2 produced per wash and 2 washes a week, so 100kg of CO2 a year is pretty much a best case example.