Appliance manufacturer Whirlpool has redesigned its entire portfolio of refrigeration appliances, for sale in the UK, with flame-retardant metal back panels.

The company has begun to implement the changes following more than a year of research and development.

It means by Q3 2018, all fridges, freezers and fridge freezers across its UK brands – including Hotpoint, Indesit and Whirlpool – will have solid metal or aluminium laminate flame-retardant back panels.

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As a result, all the manufacturers’ products will be fully compliant with new incoming UK and EU safety standards ahead of their expected introduction in 2019.

According to the company, the upgrades do not compromise the energy efficiency and performance of its refrigeration appliances.

General manager of Whirlpool UK & Ireland Andrzej Tuleja said: “These design changes to our refrigeration portfolio underscore our commitment to product performance as well as safety.

“Over 92,000 employees and 70 manufacturing and technology research centres around the globe hold safety at the heart of everything we do.

“We are constantly innovating to ensure we offer products with the latest technology, while also delivering the performance standards consumers expect of a global industry leader.

“We are proud of these and other accelerated breakthroughs in our design and manufacturing processes that put us well ahead of evolving standards and regulations.”

Whirlpool manufactures up to 3million kitchen appliances for the UK & Ireland each year.