APPLiA’s latest Home Appliance Monitor highlights significant progress in resource efficiency, while raising questions about the future competitiveness of Europe’s appliance industry.
European white goods manufacturers are making measurable progress in reducing the environmental impact of production, with new figures highlighting substantial reductions in factory energy consumption, water use and waste.
According to APPLiA – Home Appliance Europe, manufacturers have reduced energy use in their factories by 50%, cut waste generation by 18% and lowered water consumption by 14%. The figures feature in the association’s latest Home Appliance Monitor, which examines developments across the European home appliance industry.
The findings underline how sustainability improvements are taking place not only in the appliances consumers buy, but also in the manufacturing processes used to produce them.
Sustainability starts on the factory floor
Energy-efficient washing machines, refrigerators, dishwashers and cooking appliances are an important part of efforts to reduce household resource consumption. However, their environmental impact begins long before they reach the showroom.
Manufacturing processes also require energy and water, while generating waste and consuming raw materials. Improving factory efficiency can therefore contribute to a more sustainable appliance lifecycle.
The reductions reported by APPLiA demonstrate progress in this area, with manufacturers changing how resources are used throughout production.
For an industry facing growing expectations around environmental performance, these improvements offer an important measure of progress.
Efficiency and innovation remain central to the sector
The latest figures form part of a wider picture of change across the European home appliance market. Manufacturers are balancing demands for improved product performance and sustainability with the need to remain competitive in an increasingly challenging global market.
The Home Appliance Monitor examines several areas shaping the sector, including sustainability, digitalisation, resource efficiency and circularity.
For manufacturers and retailers, these developments have practical implications. Energy efficiency, product durability, repairability and responsible resource use are increasingly important considerations throughout the supply chain, from product development to after-sales service.
Competitiveness presents a growing challenge
Despite the industry’s progress on sustainability, APPLiA has also highlighted significant pressures facing European manufacturers.
In a separate announcement accompanying the 2025 Home Appliance Monitor, published in September 2026, the association reported that European home appliance sales finished 2025 at approximately 170 million units, returning to levels last seen in 2015.
It also reported that the proportion of appliances made in Europe for European consumers had fallen from more than 80% in 2014 to around 71% in 2025.
High industrial energy prices, rising labour and material costs, regulatory pressures and concerns about compliance in the marketplace are among the challenges identified by the association.
The figures point to a key issue for the sector: how can European manufacturers continue investing in efficiency and sustainability while maintaining a competitive manufacturing base?
What this means for the white goods industry
For the white goods sector, the message is twofold. Manufacturers are delivering measurable improvements in resource efficiency, but maintaining that progress will depend on a commercially sustainable environment in which businesses can continue to invest, innovate and manufacture.
Retailers, meanwhile, operate at the point where product performance, consumer expectations and sustainability claims meet. Clear information about efficiency, running costs, product lifespan and repair options can help consumers make more informed purchasing decisions.
The wider challenge is to ensure that environmental progress extends across the entire appliance lifecycle, including production, everyday use, maintenance, repair and end-of-life recycling.
Looking Ahead
APPLiA’s latest Home Appliance Monitor provides a useful snapshot of an industry undergoing significant change. The reported reductions in factory energy use, waste and water consumption demonstrate progress, while the wider market figures highlight the economic pressures facing European manufacturing.
For white goods businesses, the task ahead is to combine environmental improvements with innovation, resilience and competitiveness
White Goods Now will continue to follow the developments shaping appliance manufacturing, retail and sustainability across the sector.
