UL Environment Certifies First Refrigerator to New Sustainability Standard for Household Appliances; Whirlpool Continues Role as Marketplace Leader

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)