Together with its parent company Arçelik, Beko plc helped host the three-day 2022 Sustainability Hackathon Event in May, with the aim to find solutions to pressing environmental issues alongside innovators, start-ups, students, and key stakeholders.
Beko hosted a sustainability panel session within the Hackathon to inspire attendees to come up with new ideas to help make positive and lasting environmental changes.
The Hackathon commenced on Friday 13 May, launching with an introduction from Arçelik’s CEO, Hakan Bulgurlu, and a panel discussion from Arçelik’s state-of-the-art Romanian factory on sustainable production practices.
Following this, Beko plc’s Managing Director, Teresa Arbuckle, led the ‘Sustainability from a Retail and Consumer Perspective’ panel discussion alongside Moira Thomas, Director of Group Sustainability and ESG at Currys, Paul Hide, CEO of AMDEA, and Richard Morris, CEO of IPG Media Brands. By showcasing how companies can encourage consumers to reduce carbon emissions through better education, as well as responsible product consumption, repair, and recycling, the panel helped inspire attendees to come up with new products and services to protect our environment in the decades to come.
In total, 976 people registered to attend the Hackathon event, with attendance reaching 400 during the UK’s panel discussion on Friday morning.
Alongside the numerous panel discussions, the Hackathon hosted hundreds of top entrepreneurs, engineers, and developers in Europe, seeking to create solutions for environmental challenges relating to circular economy, water management, and climate change. Beko announced this year’s top winners, which include:
Circular Economy winner: Team Salubata. They sought to provide a solution to the global issue of plastic waste by converting PET waste into desirable, practical footwear. Using patented technology, the team developed a prototype and business pathway to help divert almost six billion tonnes of plastic waste from landfills.
Climate Change winner: Team 52. They tackled the issue of energy waste and carbon emissions produced by household appliances left on standby. The team developed an innovative smart plug with user-friendly modes to enable consumers to turn off appliances and reduce energy waste when not in use, driving financial savings for consumer and helping prevent emissions.
Water Management winner: Koalas. They developed a new washing machine technology which uses oxygen and cold water to clean garments more efficiently than ever before. The new process, which is proposed to be used in a future line of Beko washing machines, reduces the need for high levels of detergent and hot water, thus helping conserve water and energy.
Speaking about the event, Ms Arbuckle said : “It has been inspiring to see some of the brightest minds and forward thinkers coming together to create solutions for the environmental issues that affect us all.
“Congratulations to the winners and to all the participants for showing what we can achieve when we come together and collaborate.”
