IKEa is offering to replace appliances that are “electric” with “watertight” ones, as part of a campaign aimed at boosting sales.
The furniture retailer has been working with Irish Home and Appliance Union (IHABU) to make the transition easier.
It is part of an initiative that is aimed at helping to reduce the number of households that are unable to afford to buy their own appliances.
The initiative aims to introduce the new products by the end of 2019.
The campaign is based on IKEs latest “Green Starter” programme, which was introduced to address the issue of households needing to buy expensive and unreliable electric appliances.IKEA has also been working to increase the supply of watertight “waterproof” units.
It says the watertight units can be used as a “cleaner alternative to conventional watertight appliances”.
“There is an increasing need to buy new watertight electric appliances to help reduce household electricity bills,” it said.
“We are working closely with the Irish Home & Appliance union to ensure that these are made in Ireland and that the new water-tight products are made to fit the needs of Irish homes and businesses.”
The IHABE says that its members have been using the products since the 1980s and the company is hoping to offer the products in the near future.