LAS VEGAS, Jan. 3, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Launching at CES®, the new Zera™ Food Recycler from WLabs of Whirlpool Corporation took home top honors in this year's CES 2017 Innovation Awards, as a Best of Innovation Awards Honoree in the Eco-Design and Sustainable Technologies category and Innovation Awards Honoree in the Tech For A Better World and Home Appliances categories. Additionally, Whirlpool brand earned three Innovation Awards for new and innovative kitchen and laundry products, including Whirlpool® 2-in-1 Over the Range Microwave Convection Oven, Whirlpool® French Door-within-Door Refrigerator and the Whirlpool® Smart All-in-One Care™ Washer and Dryer Combo. The CES Innovation Awards honor outstanding design and engineering in cutting-edge consumer electronics across 28 product categories, and entries are judged by a distinguished panel of independent industrial designers, engineers and members of the trade media.

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"For more than 100 years we have dedicated our teams and resources to merging cultural observations and insights with emerging technologies and consumer trends and this year is no different," said Brett Dibkey, vice president of integrated business units at Whirlpool Corporation. "We're excited to be introducing our latest offerings for kitchen and laundry at CES, which all deliver on Whirlpool Corporation's promise of purposeful innovation."

Best of Innovation Award Honoree (Eco-Design and Sustainable Technologies Category) and Innovations Award Honoree (Tech For A Better World and Home Appliances Categories)

• The Zera™ Food Recycler turns today's food scraps into tomorrow's fertilizer. The Zera™ Food Recycler is the third innovation created by WLabs of Whirlpool Corporation, the company's innovation incubator. Built to convert household food waste into homemade fertilizer, the Zera™ Food Recycler can break down a week's worth of the average family's food waste within 24 hours[1] – and 95 percent of a typical family's food waste overall. With an estimated 40 percent of food in the United States wasted every year, the Zera™ system ensures that food waste can be converted into a homemade fertilizer, as opposed to being disposed into a landfill. The Zera™ Food Recycler is designed to seamlessly integrate into the kitchen, and can be controlled via the Whirlpool® mobile app, offering the ability to remotely operate the machine[2].
  
  The Zera™ Food Recycler is available for pre-order on Indiegogo starting January 6, and starting early summer 2017, the Zera^TM system will be available in limited test markets through participating retail partners including TreeHouse (located in Austin, Texas or https://tree.house), Abt (located in Glenview, Ill. or Abt.com) and Williams-Sonoma (located in San Francisco, Calif. or williams-sonoma.com)[3]. The Zera™ system will also be available for purchase online at select retailer sites and on Zera.com.

Innovations Award Honorees (Home Appliances Category)

• Whirlpool® 2-in-1 Over the Range Microwave Convection Oven tracks family habits and preferences to learn what they cook and how they cook it. The Whirlpool® 2-in-1 Over the Range Microwave Convection Oven provides easy access to a microwave while also distributing even heat and fast baking throughout the oven with True Convection Cooking. To make cooking even more convenient, Scan-to-Cook technology detects and recognizes food by scanning the UPC arcode with a mobile phone and sends cooking instructions straight to the microwave[2]. The Whirlpool® mobile app[2] then allows users to save favorite recipes after recognizing repeated activity with Scan-to-Cook technology. This technology not only keeps up with hectic demands and schedules, it works intuitively to simplify what is undeniably complex in cooking while also taking care of the family.
  
  
• Whirlpool® French Door-within-Door Refrigerator keeps milk and other drinks extra cold with an industry-first door-within-door cooling system. A fit for every family, the Whirlpool® French Door-within-Door Refrigerator with Active Cold Space is purposeful and flexible. The brand's first door-within-door features a designated "Cold Space" and an anticipated industry first: active cooling in a door-within-door. This space has a separate air vent and metal panel, allowing the area to be kept cooler than the rest of the interior space – so milk can stay colder. In addition, the refrigerator features a unique shelving system that makes it easy to organize by using space more efficiently so families can fit and find all of their favorites.
  
  
• Whirlpool® Smart All-in-One Care™ Washer and Dryer Combo eliminates the need to transfer clothes between the washer and dryer cycles. The latest in laundry innovation from Whirlpool® helps simplify how families care for each other by removing steps to free up time so they can focus on what's most important. The all-in-one design removes the transfer step from the laundry process and brings the ease of automation to the home. Also, with the Load & Go™ bulk dispenser, families no longer need to worry about refilling the detergent or fabric softener before every load. Technology helps dispense just the right amount for each load. When connected to WiFi, a detergent low level notification can be sent to the user's phone through the Whirlpool® mobile app[2]. Removing steps in washing clothes means more care dedicated to loved ones.

"We are thrilled to be honored by the Consumer Technology Association for the third straight year," said Ryan Morand, senior brand manager, Whirlpool brand. "As a brand, we believe the most powerful innovations are those that can fill real human needs to eliminate steps, adapt and get a job done better, faster and smarter. These Innovation Awards are a tribute to that mission."

From January 5-8, CES® attendees can get up close to the award winners and other Whirlpool brand innovations at booth #41730 in the Smart Home section, located at the Sands Expo Center.

For more information on the company's care-centric product innovations and to join the conversation, visit ces.whirlpool.com and follow #EveryDayCare.

[1] Based on estimated 3.5 kg weekly household food waste for average U.S. family.
[2] Requires WiFi and account creation. App features and functionality subject to change. Subject to Terms of Service available at:  www.whirlpool.com/connect. Data rates may apply.
[3] Retailers alone determine pricing.

About Whirlpool Brand
For more than one hundred years, Whirlpool brand has been inspired by how people care for their families.  Whirlpool brand is designing home appliances that are focused on improving how families give and get the care they need with the latest technologies and innovations – whether that means most flexible refrigerator storage for all types of family needs, induction technology for efficient cooking and easier cleaning, or laundry pairs that sense and adapt to clothes with the latest in connected technologies. Whirlpool brand is part of Whirlpool Corporation, the world's leading manufacturer and marketer of major home appliances. Whirlpool Corporation is also one of Habitat for Humanity's largest corporate partners for over 15 dedicated years, donating a refrigerator and range to every new Habitat for Humanity home built in North America. For more information on Whirlpool, please visit whirlpool.com/everydaycare or find us on Facebook at facebook.com/whirlpoolusa or Twitter at @WhirlpoolUSA.

About Whirlpool Corporation
Whirlpool Corporation (NYSE: WHR) is the number one major appliance manufacturer in the world, with approximately $21 billion in annual sales, 97,000 employees and 70 manufacturing and technology research centers throughout the world in 2015. The company markets Whirlpool, KitchenAid, Maytag, Consul, Brastemp, Amana, Bauknecht, Jenn-Air, Indesit and other major brand names in nearly every country throughout the world. Additional information about the company can be found at WhirlpoolCorp.com, or find us on Twitter at @WhirlpoolCorp.

SOURCE Whirlpool Corporation