On April 14, Zhu Lei, CMO of Gree Electric Appliances,Inc.Of Zhuhai, stated that during the Shanghai Home Appliance Expo, Hisense air conditioners began using the phrase "genuine copper materials" in their promotions, a term originally coined by Gree. He further commented that brands still using aluminum wires for motor windings are not qualified to claim "genuine copper materials." Gree insists on using genuine copper for four core components: evaporator copper tubes, condenser copper tubes, fan motor windings, and compressor motor windings.
In response, Yang Xiangxi, brand director of Hisense's Air Conditioning Division, asserted that all Hisense air conditioners use copper tubes, with high-efficiency models equipped with double-row copper tubes, a practice common among major market brands. Yang pointed out that the widely discussed "aluminum replacing copper" self-regulation pact was actually a story where well-intentioned engineers were exploited by companies with ulterior motives for炒作. The truth is that the Chinese Association of Refrigeration and corporate R&D engineers, while advancing the national "Fifteenth Five-Year" key research project on "high-corrosion-resistant all-aluminum heat exchanger technology and processing equipment," initiated an internal industry self-regulation initiative to prevent inconsistent messaging from hindering progress.
Yang explained that this internal agreement was meant to support national strategy and implement the "Aluminum Industry High-Quality Development Implementation Plan (2025-2027)" without disruption during R&D. However, it was unexpectedly manipulated by certain companies, distorting its original intent and causing harm to the association and engineers involved. Many companies felt angry but found it difficult to refute publicly, as any attempt to clarify would risk being labeled as supporting "aluminum replacing copper," leading to false accusations. Yang also shared a signed application form from Gree to join the "Air Conditioner Aluminum Strengthening Application Research Working Group," commenting on the hypocrisy.
Later, Zhu Lei clarified in an interview with Sina Technology that Gree's participation in the working group, established by the China Household Electrical Appliances Research Institute late last year, was separate from the 19-company initiative promoting "aluminum replacing copper." He emphasized that researching aluminum substitution is different from advocating for it. As an industry leader, Gree's involvement in new material research is routine, supported by 1,411 laboratories and nearly 20,000 researchers, enabling systematic study of aluminum's feasibility. Based on this research, Gree has chosen to坚持 using copper for key components.
On December 15 last year, amid rising copper futures prices, 19 home appliance companies, including Midea, Haier, Hisense, and Xiaomi, jointly signed a self-regulation pact to prohibit malicious attacks on aluminum products and promote standardized development of "aluminum replacing copper" technology. Gree was one of the few major appliance manufacturers that did not participate in this agreement.
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