A mixer for life: the kitchen appliance you can repair and upgrade
CategoriesSustainable News

A mixer for life: the kitchen appliance you can repair and upgrade

Spotted: The electronic devices and appliances industry is in the bottom ten of Kantar’s 2023 Sustainability Sector Index (SSI) rankings, which means it has inherent issues and needs radical innovation. German startup Open Funk is providing that innovation for one type of electronic appliance: the kitchen mixer or blender.  

The company has created a blender, called Re:Mix, which has a customisable casing and is made from 100 per cent recycled plastic. The device is made up of modular components to enable the easy repair and upgrading of parts – either at the company’s Berlin workshop or at home. At-home repairs like this are possible thanks to the device’s open-source design.  

The blender works with any of a customer’s standard twist-off glass jars, provided they have the right-sized opening. And if a customer no longer wants their Re:Mix, Open Funk will buy it back for refurbishment and resale. 

The idea for Open Funk came when co-founder Paul Anca attempted to fix a blender that had broken within months of purchase. Unable to carry out the repairs himself, and determined not to add to the millions of tonnes of e-waste that is generated each year, he took it to a repair shop and was quoted €50 “just to have a look at it.”  

Spurred on by this unsatisfactory experience, Anca and his co-founder Ken Rostand devoted themselves to understanding how blenders are put together and why they break. Crowdsourcing broken blenders from Facebook, the pair discovered that the root of the problem lay in cheap materials and the gluing together of components for rapid assembly. The result of their inquiries was Re:Mix, which is made to be repaired and upgraded, with parts replaced over time.  

Selected earlier this year as a participant in Amazon’s Sustainability Accelerator, Open Funk has since sent out its first batch of orders.

Springwise has spotted other innovators taking kitchen appliances to the next level, including a novel, low-energy cooking device and a countertop compost machine.

Written By: Matthew Hempstead

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Swedish appliance company designs new sustainable kitchen
CategoriesSustainable News

Swedish appliance company designs new sustainable kitchen

Spotted: Is the way we cook just as important to the future of our planet as the food we eat? Swedish appliance company Electrolux thinks so, as it has just launched GRO, a reimagining of the traditional kitchen that encourages sustainable and healthy cooking, following the EAT-Lancet planetary diet.

GRO, which means ‘to sprout’ in Swedish, is a new smart kitchen range composed of modular compartments that can be adapted to any home, creating infinite personalised combinations. In addition, there’s also a grain and pulse library designed to showcase the visual diversity of protein sources; a Nordic smoker that infuses food with flavour; and GRO Coach, a smart cooking companion that tracks eating habits and helps make more sustainable choices.

“By challenging conventional thinking of what a kitchen is, we have rethought everything from the start – aiming to help change behaviours by making planet-friendly eating effortless and enjoyable through groundbreaking design,” explains Tove Chevalley, Director CX Innovation Hub Electrolux.

GRO has launched on the Electrolux website, however, there is no set date for the appliances to be released to the general public.

While companies such as Miele and Samsung have created smart appliances, kitchen robots, and sustainable storage solutions, few have created an all-encompassing kitchen like GRO.

Other kitchen innovations recently spotted by Springwise include a new way to dispose of used cooking oil, a kitchen designed for zero-waste production, and an AI system that helps professional kitchens avoid food waste.

Written By: Lauryn De Nagy Berry

Email: sustainability@electrolux.com

Website: betterlivingelectrolux.com

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