Rotherham firm's 'waterless washer' in line for top award

A ROTHERHAM firm which has invented a revolutionary way of washing clothes with hardly any water is in the running for a top environmental award.

Xeros, based at the Advanced Manufacturing Park, in Catcliffe, has been shortlisted in the Best Technological Breakthrough category in the Climate Week awards.

Climate Week, which runs from March 21- 27, is a new initiative aiming to celebrate ‘green heroes’ and inspire people to help combat climate change.

Xeros has been shortlisted for its “game-changing” prototype washer which uses polymer beads to absorb dirt from clothes which are merely dampened before being put in the machine.

It needs 90% less water than conventional machines and saves energy because there is less water to heat and the clothes are easier to dry.

The independent Hohenstein Institute confirmed that it cleans as well as normal washers, and environmental consultancy URS found its carbon footprint to be 20% lower.

Xeros has raised £5 million to put a machine for the commercial laundry industry on to the market in 2011, with a domestic machine planned for 2013.

The company’s CEO, Bill Westwater, said said: "With Climate Week shining a spotlight on the big innovations that will inspire millions more people to tackle climate change, Xeros is delighted to be shortlisted as Best Technological Breakthrough for our virtually waterless cleaning system,

“The Climate Week Awards in particular, are a fantastic initiative for smaller companies like Xeros who need to raise their profile with potential partners and customers alike.

“That Xeros is shortlisted could not be a better boost for our team, and it marks another important step in our journey to the market and our mission to reduce the carbon footprint of laundry.”

The Climate Week Awards will be judged by an all-star panel of judges, including includes best-selling author Ian McEwan, Lord Nicholas Stern (author of the Stern Report), former Irish President Mary Robinson, eco-adventurer David de Rothschild, and Tim Smit, founder of the Eden project. with winners announced at the launch of Climate Week in London.

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