The 12-point strategy (roadmap) focusing on sustainability and innovation in the household electrical appliance sector in relation to consumer needs was presented by the European Association of Electrical Appliance Industries and Businesses APPLiA Europe, in Athens, as part of the APPLiA Summer Session 2025, which was organized for the first time in Greece at the initiative of APPLiA Hellas, with the participation of 145 leading CEOs of companies from all over Europe (Beko, BSH, Electrolux, Samsung, Miele, Delonghi, etc.) as well as representatives of national associations.
APPLiA Europe underlined the need for a single European industrial strategy, which recognizes the household appliances sector as a strategic asset for the future of Europe. Key points of the strategy are restoring efficiency in the single market, regulatory harmonization and competitiveness, strengthening innovation, energy efficiency and circular economy, the right to repair, energy and production costs since energy costs are 2–3 times higher than in the US and support is needed in energy and raw materials, as well as the enforcement of regulations on electronic marketplaces.
Strategic pillar
As the Association’s leadership emphasized, the household appliances sector is not just a consumer sector, but a strategic pillar for Europe’s economic and environmental transition. With almost 1 million jobs, 130 factories and a contribution of 79 billion euros to the EU GDP, the sector remains strong, resilient and future-oriented. Its products are essential for everyday life and crucial for the energy efficiency and decarbonization of European households.
Greece
Focusing on Greece, it was underlined that the market must prepare for the implementation of the new rules in the coming months, with a focus on the education of technicians and end users. The design of eco-friendly devices, together with services such as “paid repair” or refurbishment, will be key competitive advantages in Greece and Europe. The energy crisis in our country makes the shift to efficient solutions vital and is an opportunity for the Greek industry to ensure better consumer protection.
Stathis Sachinis, Business Strategist and Director General of APPLiA Hellas, which has 31 members and represents 75% of the Greek home appliance market, emphasized to “N”, that “the APPLiA Europe Summer Session conference held in Athens (June 10–12, 2025) was an important event for the home appliance market in Europe and in particular for the Greek market, with critical impacts and conclusions. It was a major opportunity to place Greece at the center of the European dialogue on the future of the home appliance industry. Critical issues such as energy strategy, the circular economy and the ‘right to repair’ were highlighted, giving way to a substantial convergence of views between industry, institutions and markets.”
Sachinis added that “this initiative was not simply administrative. It was a targeted intervention of substance, with the aim of creating synergies, putting the Greek market on the European agenda and building bridges between politics, innovation and sustainable entrepreneurship.”
