UL Environment, a business unit of UL (Underwriters Laboratories), announced
today that leading appliance manufacturer Whirlpool Corporation has become the
first company in the marketplace to achieve certification of its products to
AHAM 7001/CSA SPE 7001-12/UL 7001, Sustainability Standard for Household
Refrigeration Appliances.
Developed collaboratively by UL Environment (ULE), the Association of Home
Appliances Manufacturers (AHAM), and the Canadian Standards Association (CSA),
this new sustainability standard requires that refrigerators meet
lifecycle-based environmental performance criteria across five categories:
materials, energy consumption during use, manufacturing and operations, product
performance, and end-of-life. The first products to meet these criteria and
achieve UL Environment certification to the standard are Whirlpool Corporation's
French Door-style, bottom-mount household refrigerators.
"The home appliances industry has a remarkable opportunity to help advance
sustainability in new and exciting ways, and we applaud Whirlpool for taking
this leadership role and pursuing certification to the AHAM-CSA-UL standard,"
says Sara Greenstein, president of UL Environment. "We are confident that
Whirlpool Corporation's forthcoming certification will set the stage for other
refrigerator manufacturers to follow suit, spurring positive transformation
toward environmental stewardship across the home appliances industry."
Based on a 100-point system, AHAM 7001/CSA SPE 7001-12/UL 7001 requires that
a product earn a minimum of 60 points, with at least one point from each of the
five categories, to comply. A bonus category for innovation awards up to 10
additional points, though projects may not exceed 100 points.
"Whirlpool is proud to be the first to offer refrigerators that meet the new
AHAM-CSA-UL Sustainability Standard," says JB Hoyt, director of sustainability
and regulatory affairs for Whirlpool Corporation and vice chair of the AHAM
taskforce. "We worked on the task force to advance an extremely broad view of
sustainability that fits with what consumers are looking for when shopping for
appliances."
Source: PR Newswire (http://s.tt/1eqmO)