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Vac from the seaVac from the sea

Vacuuming litter is one of Electrolux AB’s primary jobs, so it’s only fitting that the company should pick up plastic litter from the sea and recycle it into new vacuum cleaners.

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Plastic debris islands—some as large as the state of Texas—float in the world’s oceans where the currents trap the debris. Yet, in some cases recycled plastics demand exceeds its availability.  Electrolux AB, the large Sweden-based maker of home appliances, plans to correct that imbalance by gathering plastic from the world’s oceans and turn it into a number of vacuum cleaners in the new initiative “Vac from the sea.”

The goal of the new initiative is twofold: to bring attention to the issue of plastic pollution and to raise awareness on the scarcity of recycled plastics needed for making sustainable home appliances, said the company.

“We struggle to get hold of enough recycled plastics to meet the demand for our sustainable vacuum cleaners,” said Cecelia Nord, VP of Floor Care Environmental and Sustainability Affairs at Electrolux.

The plan is to make a limited number of vacuum cleaners from plastic debris harvested from the Pacific, Indian, and Atlantic Oceans and the Mediterranean, Baltic, and North Seas. The techniques for harvesting the plastic will vary depending on the location—from diving after it to scooping it up from the waves. “We will work with volunteers and experts that live close or work with this problem,” said Nord.

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