Next Big Thing: Sustainability standards for dryers

Up until last week, there were no set sustainability standards for household clothes dryers.

Now, the Association of Home Appliance Manufacturers (AHAM), CSA Group, and UL Environment have collectively announced the publication of AHAM 7005-2016/CSA SPE-7005-16/UL 7005 Sustainability Standard for Household Clothes Drying Appliances.

"This tripartite effort of AHAM, CSA and UL continues our commitment to providing consumers, retailers, and manufacturers with objective tools for measuring product sustainability," said Joseph McGuire, AHAM's president and CEO.

The three groups had previously worked on creating sustainability standards for four other types of products.

The objective measurement tool is intended to help dryer manufacturers gauge the eco-friendliness of their products, but it's also meant to be a helpful standard for governments, retailers and more

"CSA Group is proud to be part of the development of standards that encourage a life cycle assessment of products," said Magali Depras, president of standards, CSA Group. "This series of standards provides valuable information for consumers and retailers to help them choose environmentally preferable products that promote sustainable living."

The groups are currently working on other major appliance standards, which are expected to be published later in 2016.

"UL Environment is pleased to participate in the development of standards that improve the sustainability of everyday products and help manufacturers, governments and retailers make more informed purchasing decisions," said Carlos Correia, president of UL's supply chain & sustainability division, UL Environment's parent business division. "This marks the fifth sustainability standard that UL Environment has been a participant of, and we applaud the industry's continued dedication to produce more sustainable home appliances for the marketplace to meet the needs of environmentally conscious consumers."