2 minute read
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
washing machine industry and profit from shared value. PlanetCare shareholders would profit from the acquisition, while continuing to drive their mission. The apparel industry would benefit, as they do not (yet) have to halt production of synthetic fabric. Finally, although washing machine costs may increase for consumers, data indicates that this cost is outweighed by the benefits of sustainability reflected in current consumer trends.
Ultimately, the development and sale of a built-in microfiber filter for Whirlpool washing machines would greatly benefit Whirlpool and the environment. Consumer trends toward sustainability and competition among other washing machine manufacturers indicate that a microfiber filter will help Whirlpool retain market share. Further, trends toward increased government regulation of microplastics suggest that microfiber filters may become mandated soon. Finally, producing a built-in microfiber filter will disrupt neither the synthetic fiber nor apparel industries, meaning there are limited downsides. Thus, Whirlpool’s best strategy for mitigating the synthetic microfiber crisis exists in joining PlanetCare. Whirlpool would benefit both the planet and themselves by being the first to bring this crucial technology to market.
1. What objections might consumers have with a microfiber-filtering washing machine and how might Whirlpool counter those objections?
2. In addition to “acquisition,” what other business relationship might PlanetCare pursue and yet still move this idea forward?
1 “Twenty-Four Trillion Pieces of Microplastics in the Ocean and Counting.” ScienceDaily, 27 Oct. 2021, www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2021/10/211027122120.htm.
2 Wicker, Ruth Alden. “What's the Latest Research on Synthetic Microfiber Pollution from Fashion?” Ecocult, 25 June 2021, www.ecocult.com/can-polyester-microfibers-water.
3 Ibid.
4 Windridge, Melanie. “Sustainable Fabrics Reducing the Impact of Microplastics on the Planet.” Forbes, Forbes Magazine, 28 Jan. 2021, www.forbes.com/sites/melaniewindridge/2021/01/27/ sustainable-fabrics-reducing-the-impact-of-microplastics-onthe-planet
5 “Your Laundry Sheds Harmful Microfibers. Here's What You Can Do About It.” The New York Times, 21 Apr. 2021, www.nytimes.com/wirecutter/blog/reduce-laundry-microfiberpollution.
6 Shah, Karina. “Microplastics Found across the Arctic May Be Fibers from Laundry.” New Scientist, 20 Jan. 2021, www. newscientist.com/article/2264585-microplastics-found-acrossthe-arctic-may-be-fibres-from-laundry.
7 “Plastic Pollution Discovered at Deepest Point of Ocean.” The Guardian, Guardian News and Media, 20 Dec. 2018, www. theguardian.com/environment/2018/dec/20/plastic-pollutionmariana-trench-deepest-point-ocean
8 “Plastic Microfibres Found in the Stomach of Deep-Sea Fish.” Natural History Museum, www.nhm.ac.uk/discover/news/2021/ february/plastic-microfibres-found-in-the-stomach-of-deepseafish.html.
9 Gerretsen, Isabelle. “You Could Be Swallowing a Credit Card’s Weight in Plastic Every Week.” CNN, www.cnn.com/2019/06/11/health/microplastics-ingestion-wwfstudy-scn-intl/index.html
10 “Microplastics Found in Blood for the First Time: What This May Mean.” Medical News Today, MediLexicon International, www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/could-microplastics-inhuman-blood-pose-a-health-risk
11 Yee, Maxine Swee-Li, et al. “Impact of Microplastics and Nanoplastics on Human Health.” Nanomaterials (Basel, Switzerland), MDPI, 16 Feb. 2021, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/ articles/PMC7920297
12 Changing Markets Foundation. Synthetics Anonymous, June 2021, changingmarkets.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/ SyntheticsAnonymous_FinalWeb.pdf. Accessed 27 March 2022.
13 “Synthetic Fibers Market Growth Analysis Report, 2021-2028.” www.grandviewresearch.com/industry-analysis/synthetic-fibersmarket.
14 Tutton, Mark, and Katie Pisa. “Washing Your Clothes Is Causing Plastic Pollution, but a Simple Filter Could Help.” CNN, www. cnn.com/2019/11/14/world/microfiber-filter-plastic-pollutionintl/index.html. Accessed 18 April 2022.
15 “All Products.” PlanetCare, planetcare.org/collections/allproducts-1.
16 Ibid.
17 “Independent Test Results.” PlanetCare, https://planetcare.org/ pages/test-results.
18 Tutton.
19 “Recent Study Reveals More than a Third of Global Consumers Are Willing to Pay More for Sustainability as Demand Grows for Environmentally-Friendly Alternatives.” Business Wire, 14 Oct. 2021, www.businesswire.com/news/home/20211014005090/ en/Recent-Study-Reveals-More-Than-a-Third-of-GlobalConsumers-Are-Willing-to-Pay-More-for-Sustainability-asDemand-Grows-for-Environmentally-Friendly-Alternatives.
20 Kart, Jeff. “Survey Says: People Willing to Pay More for a Washer That Captures Microfibers.” Forbes, Forbes Magazine, 25 June
Aerin Glazer
2021, www.forbes.com/sites/jeffkart/2021/06/25/survey-sayspeople-willing-to-pay-more-for-a-washer-that-capturesmicrofiber.
21 Henderson, Rebecca. “Reimagining Capitalism.” MBR Journal, 19 Jan. 2022, mbrjournal.com/2020/12/23/reimaginingcapitalism.
22 Ibid.
23 HUNTER, Published by Jack. “EU Microplastic Ban Just Got Closer - with Major Loopholes - IN - the European Environmental Bureau.” EEB, 25 Feb. 2021, eeb.org/majorloopholes-found-in-new-eu-plan-to-ban-microplastic.
24 “Implementation of the Environmental Protection (Microbeads) (England) Regulations 2017.” Legislation.gov.uk, 25 July 2017, www.legislation.gov.uk/ukia/2017/178/pdfs/ukia_20170178_ en.pdf.
25 California, State of. “Plastic Pollution.” Plastic Pollution – California Ocean Protection Council, www.opc.ca.gov/ programs-summary/marine-pollution/plastics.
26 “Washing Machine Market Size, Share & Covid-19 Impact Analysis, by Product [Fully Automatic (Front Load and Top Load)], Semi-Automatic, and Dryer), by Capacity (below 6 Kg, 6.1-8 Kg, and above 8KG)], and Regional Forecast, 20212028.” Washing Machine Market Size & Share | Research Report [2028], www.fortunebusinessinsights.com/washing-machinemarket-102645
27 Kunst, Alexander. “Most Popular Washing Machine Brands U.S. 2017.” Statista, 3 Sept. 2019, www.statista.com/statistics/712023/ united-states-statista-survey-washing-machine-brands-usconsumers-have-at-home.
28 “Samsung Collaborates with Patagonia to Keep Microplastics out of Our Oceans.” Samsung Global Newsroom, news.samsung. com/global/samsung-collaborates-with-patagonia-to-keepmicroplastics-out-of-our-oceans.
Photo Credits:
Dasom/Adobe Stock—page 6
Pcess609/Adobe Stock—page 8
Олександр Луценко/Adobe Stock—page 9 PlanetCare/Unsplash—page 10
