After a decade of secret research, Liebherr has unveiled new sustainable refrigeration insulation technology using rocks from a volcano.

At the recent IFA 2022 exhibition in Berlin, the head of Liebherr Asia Pacific based in Singapore Gian Paolo Glueckler, told Appliance Retailer the technology is a ‘game-changer’ for the refrigeration category.

“We have had an engineering team secretly working on BluRox for 10 years. It is a game-changer to replace the insulation of a refrigerator which has been unchanged for the last 30 or 40 years which is not efficient and environmentally friendly. We have found a sustainable solution that also has benefits in terms of energy efficiency and usable space which was getting smaller and smaller because the insulation was getting bigger and bigger.

“As Liebherr is a specialist in cooling and freezing, we have shown that we are again ahead of the game in terms of technology that will be launched in the German market in 2023 and will eventually come to the Australian market a couple of years later.”

Andi-Co national sales manager, Jo Edwards, said the heavily-patented technology uses volcanic rock sourced from Greece that is heated up and ground down to make pearlite. While the internal components using BluRox is heavier overall, the insulation will not degrade for the entire life of the product and is also fully recyclable at end of life unlike foam-based insulation which reduces its energy efficiency over time.

“For many decades the only way of insulating the fridge interior and fridge door has been foam – and that cannot be recycled. So environmentally when a fridge is broken down, the foam has to be chipped out and burned or go into landfill. BluRox is fully recyclable at end of life and can be either used for other refrigerators or it can be returned to the ground as it is an organic product,” Edwards said.

“The other important difference between foam and BluRox is that foam degrades over time, while BluRox does not. Foam-insulated fridges receive their energy rating when they are produced and each year afterwards they become less effective and the initial energy rating declines. By contrast, the Liebherr refrigerators should last up to 15 years and with BluRox insulation it will be as energy efficient as it was when it was produced – while also providing an increase in volume of 25%,” she said.

Gian Paolo Glueckler also had some key observations and messages for Australian retailers.

“We have had fantastic growth in the Australian market in recent years through our partnership with Andi-Co that has done a great job in communicating the benefits of Liebherr refrigeration. Our products have clearly been embraced by Australian consumers and by the trade that understands the Liebherr benefits. The message I would like to share is that you can always trust that Liebherr will have the best cooling products for the Australian consumer.

“Next year in Australia we will completely renew our range of integrated products as well as a number of new freestanding products. There is also a plan for the top management from Liebherr to visit Australia in the second quarter of 2023.”