IFA 2023: TÜV Rheinland issues "Green Product" Mark for Midea for dishwasher and refrigerator-freezer

Green Product label: Corporate social responsibility, energy efficiency, environmental management, product climate resilience, recycling potential, product lifecycle, hazard substances / Making sustainability measurable / www.tuv.com/greenproduct

At IFA (Internationale Funkausstellung Berlin) trade fair, the Midea Group announced the launch of a new dishwasher and refrigerator-freezer with the Green Product certificate from TÜV Rheinland. Representatives of TÜV Rheinland presented the certificate to Midea representatives at a series of symbolic handover ceremonies on Friday and Saturday.

The criteria for awarding the Green Product mark are based on recognised standards and on criteria defined by TÜV Rheinland that go far beyond legal requirements. These are the following categories: corporate social responsibility, energy efficiency, environmental management and climate resilience of the products (e.g. assessment of carbon emissions), as well as recycling potential, non-hazardousness of the substances and the service life of the product. A safety assessment of the product is also required.

For example, in order to assess social compliance TÜV Rheinland asks manufacturers about SA8000 status, GRI reporting or membership of the Responsible Business Alliance (RBA). With regard to possible pollutants, the inspectors are guided by legal requirements such as RoHS, REACH Annex 17, the Battery Act (BattG) and the Packaging Ordinance (VerpackV). Compliance with a certain energy consumption is also part of the requirements, as is a robust recycling strategy.

"We think these tests make a lot of sense, especially for electrical appliances, because valuable raw materials are often used in their production," says Marc Zaplin, Head of Electrical Product Safety for the Europe Region at TÜV Rheinland. "We have consistently developed the Green Product certificate with existing CSR requirements in mind. This is why our auditors not only look closely at the product, but also at the entire supply chain and visit the manufacturing sites. With this practice, we also anticipated the guiding principle of the German Supply Chain Act at a very early stage.”

Test results of Midea dishwasher (WQP12-U7809X, together with 15 other models)

Midea's dishwasher has a WEEE (Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment) reuse/recycling rate of more than 87%, with a recovery rate of more than 94%. The company also uses more than 30% recycled material in the dishwasher's plastic parts (cabinet and rack). The calculated carbon emission is 192.87 kg CO2eq/unit (system boundaries: cradle to gate) and the score of product repairability index is 8.3. All in all the dishwasher underwent over 10 different evaluations.

Test results of Midea refrigerator-freezer (MDRS791MIA02, together with 2 other models)

The refrigerator-freezer also underwent over 10 evaluations by TÜV Rheinland, including Social Accountability Compliance, Environmental Management System, Reduction of Global Warming Potential (GWP), Ozone Depletion Potential (ODP), Carbon Footprint Calculation, Restriction of Hazardous Substances, Energy Efficiency, Noise Limit, etc. The results show that, in addition to the strict control over harmful substances, recycled materials are employed in 20% of its plastic components (such as PP, ABS, HIPS, and GPPS) to ensure sustainability. The calculated carbon dioxide emissions (expressed in carbon dioxide equivalent) throughout the product’s life cycle (from cradle to grave) is 419.69 kilograms, which means that the model meets the highest energy efficiency level A in the European Union and the noise level B. Its life cycle is up to 12 years, with a GWP of 3, meaning it has no impact on the ozone layer.