Whirlpool Corporation announced that it received a score of 100 on the Human Rights Campaign Foundation’s 2023-2024 Corporate Equality Index (CEI). The CEI rates companies on detailed criteria falling under four central pillars: non-discrimination policies across business entities; equitable benefits for LGBTQ+ workers and their families; supporting an inclusive culture; and corporate social responsibility.

«Our employees are the heart and soul of our company, and we know that supporting diverse voices throughout our organization makes us better – says Kim Kavala, Whirlpool Corp. head of Inclusion & Diversity and global learning –. Every year we have received a 100 score from the HRC has been a testament to our meaningful work in this space as well as validation for how our company continues to do what’s right for our employees».

Through the efforts of the 18 employee resource groups (ERGs) who work to raise awareness for an inclusive culture, Whirlpool Corp. has received recognition throughout 2023 for its DEI initiatives. The company was named one of the 2023 Best Companies for Multicultural Women by Seramount. Playing a large role in this recognition was the Whirlpool Women’s Network (WWN) that empowers and engages women at all levels within the company and community to ensure that all voices are heard.

LG Electronics has earned a place in the Dow Jones Sustainability World Index (DJSI World) for twelve years in a row. The DJSI World ranks the top ten percent of the largest 2,500 global companies based on their long-term economic, environmental, social and governance practices. Widely recognized by investors, governments and key stakeholders, the DJSI World is widely used to compare companies’ levels of sustainable management and as a benchmark for socially responsible investing.

LG achieved the highest overall score in the Leisure Equipment & Products and Consumer Electronics industry category and became the sole South Korean company in this field to be consecutively included in the DJSI World index for 12 years.

The company received high scores for its environmentally-focused initiatives, actively reducing greenhouse gas emissions, water usage and increasing recycling rates. LG is also making significant strides towards its goal of achieving carbon neutrality by 2030, having reduced total greenhouse gas emissions by 220,000 tons compared to the previous year. Additionally, the company joined the RE100 initiative, aiming to transition all its business sites to 100 percent renewable energy by 2050.

Haier has chosen Chiara Ferragni to furnish her new and highly anticipated Milanese home. The collaboration between the brand and the influencer continues and comes to life in the elegant Milanese dwelling. To equip Chiara’s kitchen, there is the new Haier Series 6 built-in appliance collection, designed in Haier Europe’s Milan Experience Design Center with refined materials and fine finishes.

In particular the kitchen features CHEF@HOME, the smart oven with full-touch screen on the door to manage all cooking functions, watch videos, surf the Internet, and control the preparation of dishes; the FD 90 Series 7 Pro four-door refrigerator with Absolute Ice technology, ensuring separate air flows and no contamination for 10 times purer ice; the small kitchen appliances of the I-MASTER Series 5 line, characterized by great attention to detail, premium materials and extreme versatility of use. Moreover, for the laundry, two highly technological and functional laundry columns, formed by the I-Pro Series 7 Plus front-loading washer and the I-Pro Series 7 Plus Super Silent dryer.

«Chiara Ferragni and Haier share a set of values that sets them apart in their respective worlds of reference. Chiara, a pioneer of a new style of communication, has been able to impose herself with determination and elegance in an innovative and still unexplored panorama, just as Haier is a forerunner of connected and technologically advanced solutions that are redesigning the world of household appliances – comments Atena Manca, Marketing Director Italy in Haier Europe –. In addition, the notoriety and attention that Chiara is able to generate constitute a strategic touch point in terms of awareness for the brand, as was the partnership with ATP Tour for the world professional tennis circuit, intriguing a demanding, attentive audience that is always in step with the latest trends.»

Gaggenau, the luxury brand for professional grade home appliances, has recently opened new flagships and showrooms in North America and Australia. The brand has seen an increase in demand for its products from high-net-worth consumers in both the areas and this has led to the development of a brand-new flagship concept starting with showroom openings in Vancouver and Toronto, and flagships in Sydney and Miami.

Gaggenau’s flagships in Sydney and Miami, are architectural marvels that seamlessly fuse the brand’s rich heritage with local cultural and design elements. These spaces serve as experiential hubs for culinary enthusiasts, architects, interior designers, and homeowners looking to explore the art of the kitchen. The flagships each boast a unique space and character, taking inspiration from the local neighbourhood; offering moments of reflection for the design-conscious individual and professional.

«In North America – the company explais – there’s a growing emphasis on a modern aesthetic, prioritising the kitchen as the central lifestyle hub of the home. Gaggenau’s “modern classic” design aligns seamlessly with this movement, offering timeless, sophisticated and elegant solutions for luxury kitchens. The Miami flagship pays homage to the city’s rich design and art deco heritage and Gaggenau aims to nurture and collaborate with innovative, emerging artists by providing them with a platform to showcase their work. As you step into the space, you’ll find an invitation to engage in curated art experiences that allow visitors to connect with the brand in a new way».

In order to pave the way for further growth, Miele announced in March that it would be setting up an additional production facility in the USA. The exact location has now been finalised: the German family-owned company’s first plant on the American continent will be built in Opelika in the State of Alabama. Production is scheduled to start by the end of 2024. In the first phase, 150 employees shall come on board.

«There are several good reasons for the decision to also produce in the USA in the future – the company explains –. The United States, where Miele has been represented by a sales and service company for 40 years, is the largest market outside Germany. At the same time, the company still sees a lot of potential here. The new site will enable Miele to produce the ovens and range cookers specifically designed for the USA, Canada and Mexico close to the market. Later, the matching Cooker hoods will also be produced here. This reduces the delivery time from up to ten weeks today to just a few days in a customer-friendly way and also reduces the impact on the climate».

Today, the Cooking business unit’s production is distributed as follows: Hobs and steam ovens as well as warming drawers come from the Bünde plant (approx. 730 employees), Cooker hoods from Arnsberg (approx. 250 employees) and cookers, ovens and Dialogue ovens from Oelde (approx. 670 employees). The steam ovens, i.e., ovens and steam cookers in one appliance, are produced in Bünde or Oelde, depending on the model. «The new site will give all three plants the capacity for future increases in production volumes for the other model ranges» – says Senior Vice President BU Cooking Brunkhorst.

Including the new plant, the Miele Group’s international production network will include a total of 16 locations, eight of which are in Germany and one each in Austria, China, the Czech Republic, Romania, Poland and the USA. In addition, there are the two plants of the Italian medical technology subsidiary Steelco Group.

Falmec presents a new version of Light, Light Bronze, an hood characterized by elegant profiles in the warm bronze shade. Ideal for island kitchens, the new model remains suspended above the hob, allowing a clearer and wider view, and also enhancing the other elements of the kitchen. Morevover, this hood has the advantage of a filtering installation, which does not require any need for ducting.

Available in 120 and 180 cm sizes, Light Bronze features two anodized aluminum profiles house two smoked glass shelves and an ultra-compact extraction body in height made possible by the Multi-air technology, already presented by Falmec with the original version of Light in 2021. An innovation that allows the suction force to be distributed across multiple small motors – with a total power of 500 m3/h – designed to ensure the same performance in an extremely small volume.

Along the perimeter of the two side profiles, Light Bronze integrates LED strips, for a light that spreads along the entire internal surface of the two components, highlighting the linear design of the hood and illuminating the work surface. In addition, the hood is equipped with an electronic control panel with 3 speed + Boost controls, remote control and Dialogue System, which allows to control the extraction from a Falmec induction hob, via connection between the hood and the cooking area. Finally,  Light Bronze includes an effective filtering system thanks to the Carbon.Zeo combined filter system, guaranteeing effectiveness in reducing odors and vapours.

For the third consecutive year ARAN World has been recognized among the top 100 companies that have achieved the most significant increases in ESG rating (Top 100 Performances) at the Sustainability Award, the recognition created by Kon Group, promoted by ELITE and with the support of the main partner Azimut Emilia-Romagna, Marche and Umbria.

«Being included in the Top 100 Performance list for three years in a row is another important step forward in a broader commitment – says Erika Rastelli, chief people officer ARAN World –. It is a privilege to be able to count on our family business to continue to promote the development of the Italian business world and the territory. We want to continue to be more and more attentive to social and environmental issues in order to constantly improve corporate governance».

As the company explains, innovation and renewal continue to be the pillars of ARAN World’s operations, validated by a meticulous analysis resulting from objectively measurable coefficients that are also contained in the acronym ESG: Environmental, Social and Governance. In these three spheres, ARAN World applies itself, year after year, to develop innovative eco-design solutions based on an idea of circular economy.

The Permanent Observatory of ADI Design (Associazione per il Disegno Industriale) has selected the Riciclantica Outline kitchen by Valcucine, designed by Gabriele Centazzo, for publication in the ADI Design Index 2023. This is a prestigious annual selection of Italian design products and services, curated by the Association for Industrial Design (ADI) in Italy. The best design projects selected in the ADI Design Index 2023 and ADI Design Index 2024 will compete for the prestigious Compasso d’Oro 2024 award.

The design philosophy of Riciclantica Outline combines the compositional lightness of Riciclantica with its special functional blocks, which can be combined thanks to suspended elements available in various types. These versatile solutions can be configured according to needs, playing with functions, forms, and materials.

Defining the different modules is the metallic profile running along the edges of the surfaces, the stylistic hallmark of Riciclantica Outline. Offered in a black anodized aluminum finish, it enhances the design concept, outlining geometries in space. Riciclantica excels in dematerialization, highlighting the pursuit of maximum thinness, making the world’s thinnest door with only 2 mm thickness.

The Atelier kitchen by Abimis has been installed in an exclusive home in Milan. The kitchen occupies the upper floor of the house, characterized by a large living space divided into two distinct areas: one intended for ‘social activities’, such as receiving guests and organizing dinners, parties or events, and the other, more intimate and intimate, dedicated to the family. Atelier presents itself here as an element of union between the two environments. The great peculiarity of the concept is represented by the fact that the entire kitchen environment is made of stainless steel, including the walls, floor and ceiling, painted in an intense shade of red and interrupted by LED light lines. This design choice was intended to ensure maximum hygiene, suggesting a formal and conceptual reference to the kitchens of large hospitality structures.

The Abimis kitchen, built entirely in AISI 304 stainless steel, with a clean and tidy aesthetic, is totally custom. It is an ergonomic, functional and high-performance solution, structured to meet the needs of the most demanding chef.

The kitchen is configured in two distinct areas: an operational one, characterized by a satin finish which makes the surface opaque and slightly reflective, and a service one that ‘communicates’ with the first thanks to a practical serving hatch that extends to the living area. The operational part, in addition to including the washing area and the work space, is equipped with the most advanced professional technologies for cooking, preparing, preserving and refrigerating food, thanks also to Sub Zero & Wolf appliances by Frigo2000.

During Art Basel Miami, contemporary art event held between the 8th and 10th of December, the Boffi|DePadova Miami flagship store hosted “Invisible City”. The event provided a good opportunity to unveil an iconic setting found within a building marked by an industrial vibe with simple anthracite grey hues and steel that frame the shapes, colours, configurations and materials chosen by the creative team at Boffi|DePadova.

This year the Miami showroom hosted the Invisible City exhibit, a collection of works by photographer Veronica Gaido, that created an introspective presentation narrated via a series of evocative photographs of urban landscapes designed to match the Boffi|DePadova display and the sophisticated spirit of its Miami showroom during the week dedicated to art and design in the cosmopolitan city.

Roberto Gavazzi, President & CEO of Boffi|DePadova, describes the exhibition as «absolutely in line with the refined approach of the Boffi|DePadova group. As an art enthusiast, I believe it is proof of Veronica Gaido’s talent and shows that our space in Miami, as well as that of De Padova in Milan which still hosts the exhibit, is the perfect showcase for her urban portraits.»