One of Bosch‘s business strategies is to increase the production and sale of connected or recycled appliances.
The pillars of the growth strategy of its subsidiary BSH Hausgeräte are consumer-oriented innovations, the consolidation of integrated product and service offers, the construction of digital business models and direct contact with consumers.
To address local needs, BSH Hausgeräte opened additional Bosch-brand stores in 2021 in countries such as Austria and Belgium.
Recycled appliances
BSH Hausgeräte has been offering Home Connect, an ecosystem with a multi-brand digital platform for home appliances, since 2014. Here, it collaborates with many different partners. Home Connect is now available in 55 countries and 28 languages.
The growing number of connected appliances opens up numerous applications for the smart kitchen.
One of the appliances that plays a role here is the self-learning dishwasher. The appliance, which connects via Home Connect, asks users for feedback after each rinse cycle. This allows you to automatically optimize the rinse program until it finds the ideal client setting.
In addition, users can download additional special programs and updates.
Another innovation, debuting in the fall of 2021, was a portable electronic textile air freshener. Using plasma technology, it releases active plasma particles to dissolve odor molecules. In this way, unpleasant odors can be eliminated without water, detergents or chemical additives.
Remanufacturing
Also BSH Hausgeräte is tapping into additional market potential through new business models. Under its BlueMovement service brand, the company rents premium washers and dryers, as well as dishwashers and refrigerators.
If at any time an appliance can no longer be used, BlueMovement takes care of its remanufacturing or recycling.
Currently, this business model is available in the Netherlands and Germany.
When it comes to environmental sustainability, BSH Hausgeräte intends to continue to improve the energy efficiency of its products and optimize its entire product portfolio to fit a more sustainable lifestyle.
One example is a smart indoor herb garden that automatically creates ideal growing conditions for a variety of different herbs, edible flowers, leafy greens, and seedlings.
An app also provides users with tips on how to care for the plants. BSH Hausgeräte has developed its sustainability goals.
By the end of this decade, the company will reduce its carbon emissions related to material procurement and product use by 15% (compared to 2018).
Also, by 2030, almost all the materials the company uses to make its appliances will be recyclable.
Its subsidiary wants recycled materials to make up half of the materials used to make its products by 2030. An example of this is again the herb garden, which is about 60% recycled plastic.
For the housing supports of its washing machines, the company uses steel made in electric furnaces that emit 66% less CO2.
Recycled materials play an increasingly important role in packaging. Select major appliances, for example, are packaged in expanded polystyrene made from chemically recycled plastics.
