Welcome to Vac from the Sea
By Hans Stråberg President and CEO, Electrolux On June 15, 2010

Welcome to Vac from the Sea,

Our oceans are filled with plastic waste. Yet on land, there is a shortage of recycled plastic.

The supply of sustainable raw material, such as recycled plastic, is crucial for making sustainable appliances, and assisting consumers in making their homes greener.

I therefore hope you will join us in raising awareness about the threat plastic poses to marine habitats, and the urgent need for taking better care of the plastic that already exists.

Hans Stråberg President and CEO, Electrolux

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21 Comments on this post
social media marketing campagian! Look at us we are part of the solution! Take those big ass diesel ships out collect a bit of plastic make a limited run of vacumm cleaners! Bravo! You realy want to do something build a vacumm out of hemp! That would be a start of something revolutionary stop the dependence on petro chemical plastics! No I would not pay a premium for this product! The comments on this post for the most part are like the problem garbage!
Posted by freed | Date April 08, 2011
Whilst the media has largely reported the issue as an island of plastic in the North Pacific, the reality is a soup in the water with countless trillions of tiny pieces spread over huge areas of ocean. We have similar vortexes in our other 4 major oceans with gyre systems. Even if the plastic could be collected (an impossibility right now) it would be all different types, meaning that recycling would be extremely difficult. I have recently co-founded a not-for-profit organisation, STOP Ocean Plastics, to tackle this huge issue. Uniquely we will be bringing industry to the table and focusing on practical solutions that can reduce the amount of plastic entering the world's oceans.
Posted by Oliver Harris | Date December 16, 2010
Brilliant and timely initiative. And just the beginning of something much bigger and much more comprehensive and joined-up. I'd like to see employment initiatives created to make it all happen: as many thousands of people can be employed right now to thoroughly clear the coastline of waste plastic. Make it clean and keep it clean. Please let me know your thoughts about this and how an employment drive can tie in with the Vac From The Sea product development. Well done for leading the way and stepping outside and beyond tired, dated production methods. I'd like to see all your products made from recycled materials.
Posted by Maddy | Date July 21, 2010
Dear all, Some weeks ago I got a report about plastic waste in our oceans. It was described as a major problem and I was impressed about the amount of waste. To lead waste back into new products is not a new idea but I am proud that Electrolux is DOING it (actions speaks louder than words). Keep on!
Posted by Roland Siedentopf, FCPD | Date July 02, 2010
What a great idea ;-) I'd be happy to pay a price premium for a product like this. Really hope its a success.
Posted by Graham Allathan | Date July 01, 2010
Thank you for all the comments. They are much appreciated. We will keep adding facts and stories on the subjects some of you have already touched upon. The latest blog post for example is on the recycling rate in Europe.
Posted by admin | Date June 30, 2010
I wish I was in the market for a vacuum cleaner right now, I'd certainly buy one of yours. Thank you so much for making an effort.
Posted by kathy | Date June 30, 2010
Electrolux, your commitment to cleaning up the environment is enough for me to change from Hoover to your brand. Whether you're truly committed to the environment or just running a marketing exercise to me doesn't matter. It's a win win... especially for the environment. Glad at least some corporates have balls!! Thank you for taking the initiative.
Posted by Rob Michaek | Date June 30, 2010
Very innovative..even if only a portion of what is harvested is usable, it is an effort and a great way to inform the world of the problem out there. I would bet that a majority of residents in developed countries have never heard of the Great Pacific Garbage Patch.
Posted by Barb | Date June 29, 2010
A fine initiative. Unfortunately these floating 'islands of plastic' hardly exist. If at all. Most plastic debris floats as tiny particles. See video part 33 'Plastic Soup' of the Beagle (Darwin) trip. A recently finished tour around the world of a group of scientists and others on board of a Beagle replica. http://beagle.vpro.nl/
Posted by Michiel Mans | Date June 29, 2010
What a great initiative!
Posted by Jack | Date June 28, 2010
Where is there a shortage of plastics to recycle on land? Currently, less than 10% of all plastics produced are recycled (USEPA http://www.epa.gov/osw/nonhaz/municipal/pubs/msw2008rpt.pdf). That's 90% on land. Looks more like a publicity stunt than anything real given that the product is not a real product, just proof-of-concept. Looking forward to a seeing a prove-me-wrong alternative.
Posted by AM | Date June 28, 2010
Where is there a shortage of plastics to recycle on land? Currently, less than 10% of all plastics produced are recycled (USEPA http://www.epa.gov/osw/nonhaz/municipal/pubs/msw2008rpt.pdf). That's 90% on land. Looks more like a publicity stunt than anything real given that the product is not a real product, just proof-of-concept. Looking forward to a seeing a prove-me-wrong alternative.
Posted by AM | Date June 28, 2010
Dear Jack, Thank you for your interest in the project. We have checked and we cannot see that we have deleted any comments.
Posted by admin | Date June 28, 2010
Dear Stacey You are right. We are at the very start of the project, and will soon be posting more from the collection process. This blog serves to show what we are doing as transparently as possible. Thanks for submitting your thoughts!
Posted by admin | Date June 28, 2010
Why are you guys deleting comments? This doesn't even seem like the kind of idea that merits clearing out all traces of discussion. Plus, aren't you trying to create some type of viral marketing campaign (not a viral video, but hey, it's hard to be the next Tron Guy). You certainly won't do that by blanking your comments. Good work. Good idea. Crappy execution.
Posted by jack | Date June 25, 2010
Delightful! I grew up (born in '81) vacuuming my house with an ANCIENT Electrolux - I remember gold sides, and it weighing six tons. It's very heartening to think that your company is changing with the times, and working for the good of the earth at the same time as for the good of the company. Very glad that someone posted this on notcot: http://www.notcot.org/post/31889/
Posted by Christine | Date June 25, 2010
"0 comments we haven't deleted so far" -fixed
Posted by Ben Berry | Date June 24, 2010
"0 comments we haven't deleted so far" -fixed
Posted by Ben Berry | Date June 24, 2010
Why are you telling people about this? Why didn't you hire a ship under NDA and go out to collect all this "great" recyclable plastic and undercut your competitors till it ran out.
Posted by Ben Berry | Date June 24, 2010
It's great to see that Electrolux is considering the reuse of plastics from the sea. To avoid the appearance of greenwashing, it would also be great to hear about how you are actually harvesting the plastic, and when you plan to release the products that utilize the repurposed plastic.
Posted by Stacey Fischer | Date June 24, 2010
 

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