Consumer durables refer to consumer goods that do not exhaust their usefulness after a single use and can be employed for an extended period without encountering issues. Resilient to external factors, these consumer durables boast a prolonged shelf life and utility. Examples include white goods, electronic appliances, and furniture.
Utilising environmentally friendly raw materials in the production of essential and enduring consumer durables for every household, coupled with advancements in energy efficiency, can yield significant outcomes in terms of reducing carbon footprint and optimizing resource utilization. Consumer durables exhibit not only direct effects but also indirect impacts across production and usage phases. For instance, a refrigerator with an extended storage time can indirectly contribute to reducing waste food, considering that 8% of the world’s total greenhouse gas emissions are attributed solely to food waste. Similarly, washing machines equipped with programs that launder clothes without causing wear and help maintain their newness for an extended period can indirectly support the reduction of emissions associated with textiles.
Sustainable Consumer Durables
1. Environmental Impact & Resource Utilization
Electronic devices and white goods are items characterized by significant usage of metal, plastic, and composite materials in their manufacturing. The carbon footprint of durable consumer goods is anticipated to have key focal points in the raw material and usage phases, depending on factors such as the type of raw materials used, the energy efficiency of the product, and the electricity emission factors specific to the region where the product is manufactured and utilized. However, an accurate understanding of these effects requires comprehensive measurement.
2. Regulations
Sustainability regulations, including the implementation of the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM), are becoming increasingly prominent, particularly in Europe. It is of utmost importance for the Turkish white goods industry, which directs over 70 percent of its exports to the EU market, to proactively ready itself for comparable regulations.
3. Market Demand and Company Prominence
As consumer and market awareness continues to grow due to public disclosures about the impacts of the climate crisis, coupled with tangible effects being witnessed in human life, the sustainability endeavors of widely used household products like durable consumer goods will positively influence brand image and brand visibility.
What Can We Do Together?
Various studies can be conducted on product sustainability and corporate sustainability in the automotive industry, one of the sectors in which Metsims, who has nearly 20 years of experience Several studies on product sustainability and corporate sustainability can be conducted within the consumer durables sector, an area where Metsims is actively involved. With our expertise in Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) and Environmental Product Declarations (EPD), evaluating the environmental impacts of consumer durables production and disposal, as well as sustainable strategy and business model development, we are consistently prepared to contribute to your sustainability journey. Explore our competencies in this field and engage with our team of experts!
Meet our Consumer Durables Sector Consultants
Orhan Atacan
Sustainability Manager