Clean air in the kitchen - luxury or necessity?

Open kitchens are the norm, we are spending more and more time at home, and sustainability is gaining prominence in everything we do. But when it comes to air quality, we continue to think remarkably traditionally. All too often we associate extraction and ventilation only with cooking - and as soon as the food is on the table, the extraction goes off again. We miss opportunities there. Both for the consumer and for the industry.

Our way of living and ventilating has changed fundamentally. The kitchen has become the heart of the house, and with the new building methods and ventilation systems we deal with cooking vapors differently than before. Often we no longer exhaust to the outside, but choose smart techniques that filter the air inside. Is this choice mainly from a design point of view or ease of maintenance? Or is more attention slowly coming to the quality of the air we breathe throughout the day? 

Especially in urban areas, I see the latter happening more and more often. But in the kitchen itself, that awareness rarely extends beyond the moment of cooking. A shame, because it is precisely in a central kitchen that there are opportunities to structurally include air quality in the comfort of living. I therefore believe that the cooker hood of the future will become more than just a cooking aid. It will be part of a healthier indoor climate, active at several times of the day. The technology is there, the awareness is not yet. 

It strikes me that in the high-end segment, the conversation about air quality has become more common by now, for example about filter performance. But in the mid-range and mass market, price still remains the deciding factor. What many consumers do not know is exactly what air quality means. They often only know about the traditional grease filter and have no idea what else is possible, or what a good exhaust system can do for the air quality in the home and their living environment. And fair is fair: many sales advisors also prefer not to enter into the conversation unless it is about design or functions.

I see a clear task there for us as manufacturers: make sure retailers are well trained, that they not only have product knowledge, but can explain exactly what air quality is. Show sales consultants - with concrete examples and demonstrations - what good ventilation does. And above all: that it goes beyond cooking. That way you automatically link air quality to quality of life. If retailers then show this to consumers and air quality is not just used as an upsell in the premium segment, it becomes a relevant topic for everyone. By informing and inspiring, perhaps other choices will be made.

I'm sure air quality will play a bigger role in the future. I'm not in favor of regulation but prefer to let it grow organically, just as we naturally started to factor energy labels or noise levels into our choices. But that doesn't happen quite naturally. That's where we as an industry have a role to play. Are you ready to no longer let the conversation about air quality depend on customer demand, but to put it on the map yourself?

Gregory Oswald
Managing Director berbel