May 11, 2023 - Renewi, through its subsidiary Coolrec, and the world's largest producer of household appliances, Electrolux, took first prize today at the Plastics Recycling Show Europe in Amsterdam for the introduction of a fridge produced with an inside made of 70% plastics from recycled fridges.

A new fridge produced from discarded fridges, the collaboration between Coolrec and Electrolux is unique and a world first in the industry. Coolrec processes discarded fridges before reprocessing the plastics into reusable secondary raw materials. To recover these discarded refrigerators, Coolrec has long-term contracts with schemes in Belgium, the Netherlands and France. Electrolux uses the plastics supplied by Coolrec in the production of the new fridge line. Through the circular collaboration, the circle is truly closed.

The award received is truly a crowning achievement for the work both organizations have done in recent years. For years, the Coolrec and Electrolux teams have worked behind the scenes to make this project a success.

"We are immensely proud to win this prestigious award! For years we have been investing with Electrolux in research, people and machines to make this sustainable circular product a reality," said Maurice Geelen, Managing Director Coolrec. "Today it all comes together and this award is really the icing on the cake for us. This achievement is yet another proof of our daily commitment to continuously contribute to the creation of a circular economy in which waste no longer exists."

“What makes this win special is the collaboration and partnerships behind it to turn the challenges of recycled plastics into an opportunity to shape a circular future and desirable sustainable experiences.” says Janina Hihnala, Design Director, Head of Global Food Preservation Design at Electrolux Group.

The Plastics Recycling Awards Europe recognize and honor achievements across the European plastics recycling industry. The awards provide insight into current developments as well as the use of recycled material, product design and innovative manufacturing.