Home appliances renewal scheme is paid for by manufacturers

Pressured by the reduction in consumption of home appliances and electronics products by 20% on average over the last four months, specialised manufacturers and retailers have conducted much more intensive promotional and recycling campaigns this year, compared with previous years, in the hope of aiding sales.

Whereas the vehicle renewal programme, known under the name “Junk Car” is paid for by the Ministry of Environment, which has allocated 228 million RON for it, the home appliances recycling programme is covered by manufacturers and retailers from their own budgets. Recycling campaigns now feature prominently in the shelves of the three top retailers, Altex, Domo and Flamingo, with various home appliances brands being promoted via discounts or via a voucher: one can either receive a 15% discount on the shelf price, or a 150/250-RON discount voucher for the acquisition of a new appliance. The basic premise, similar to that of the Junk Car programme is that one has to submit a used home appliance for recycling. Electrolux says in addition to the 250 RON discount, this also entails a 60% reduction in the user’s operating costs, i.e. 800 euros over the product’s expected lifespan. “If all 10 year-old home appliances were replaced (…), the impact on CO2 emissions would be obvious, -20 million tonnes of CO2, i.e. 6% of the objectives set in the Kyoto Protocol,” said Carmen Georgescu, marketing manager of Electrolux. Manufacturers and retailers in the sector have to collect an annual amount of used appliances, based on the volume of production or on the volume of sales. The norm imposed at European level is of 4 kilos/capita, with Romania collecting 0.5 kilos/capita last year. Refrigerator manufacturer Arctic has been the first company to offer a 150-RON discount this year for the acquisition of a refrigeration appliance or of a washing machine, if the customer submitted a similar, used appliance, with the campaign also centred around electricity use. “Old home appliances use a lot of electricity (…). For instance, new washing machines now use 50% less electricity and 60% less water than 20 year-old ones,” said Gabriela Geana, Arctic’s marketing manager.