Cool breeze in the office: this is how it blows environmentally friendly until the end

A moment ago we were complaining about too much rain. Now the heat is back. If you don't have a functioning appliance in the cellar, now is the time to consider buying a fan or even an air conditioner. What should you look out for and when should old appliances be replaced and recycled?

Air conditioners have a bad reputation. They require a lot of electricity and often contain harmful refrigerants. The best known is CFC, a compound of fluorine, chlorine and hydrocarbon, which is extremely harmful to the ozone layer. It is now banned worldwide. However, certain successor substances also heat up the climate to such an extent that appliances containing such refrigerants have no longer been allowed to be manufactured, sold or imported in Switzerland since 2015. However, if you still have an old air conditioning unit installed or are hoarding it in the basement, it is best to have it checked by a specialist dealer and replace it with a new, more environmentally friendly and energy-efficient appliance if necessary. It is also worth taking a look at the Circular Platform: depending on the age, brand or condition of the appliance, interested buyers can find out within a few minutes whether it is still worth using an old air conditioner or whether it would be better to recycle it and replace it with a new appliance. 

Fans: the environmentally friendly and versatile alternative 

Fans are an environmentally friendly and often healthier alternative to air conditioning systems. They are also electrical appliances, but unlike air conditioners, they do not contain any potentially harmful refrigerants. Without these, they are not able to lower the temperature in a room, but they do stimulate the air circulation in the room and thus create a pleasant ventilating effect. This effect is usually enough to noticeably improve our well-being. Fans are also usually cheaper than air conditioning units and are available in all sizes and for almost all needs: Quiet and energy-saving for the bedroom, efficient and particularly powerful for the office, mobile devices or those that can be permanently mounted on the wall or ceiling. Devices with night light, timer and remote control or very small and handy ones for travelling. 

6 resource-saving tips and fairness in recycling 

Due to the wide variety of cooling appliances, it is worth thinking carefully about the purpose for which an appliance is being purchased. All the more so as the performance, energy efficiency and material of the appliances can have a major impact on the environment. You can read here why it is also better to buy second-hand and from vRB partners:

Second-hand

Check the offers on platforms such as Ricardo.ch or tutti.ch. Second-hand appliances are not only good for your wallet, they also help to save resources. Pay particular attention to the age of the models. Those that are more than 10 years old often have poorer energy efficiency or contain harmful refrigerants.

Environmentally friendly material

Pay attention to the material from which the appliances are made. For example, there are now also appliances made from recycled plastic. 

Energy efficiency

Fans and air conditioners are categorised into energy classes (A to E) in the same way as refrigerators or dishwashers. Favour particularly energy-saving appliances with the energy efficiency label A. 

Warranty

Pay attention to the warranty when buying and have a faulty appliance repaired. This is because repairs contribute to a longer appliance service life and conserve resources. Find out more at: www.circular-platform.ch

vRB partners

Buy your electrical appliances from vRB partners. With the advance recycling fee (ARF), these manufacturers, retailers or importers voluntarily finance our Switzerland-wide take-back system, which enables consumers to easily dispose of and professionally recycle their used electrical appliances: ARF partners.

Fair vRB

Pay the fair vRB for purchases made abroad or on foreign platforms. With this amount, you voluntarily support recycling in Switzerland and ensure the professional disposal of your electrical appliances: Advance recycling contribution.