Being a responsible corporate citizen for decades
Last month, Whirlpool Corporation published its 2017 Sustainability Report and the results are a clear indication of the company’s consistent effort and commitment to do business in a socially and environmentally responsible way. We continuously strive to minimize our impact on the planet by setting goals that not only adhere to and go beyond global standards but challenge us to always create more efficient and sustainable products and operate in view of our commitment to environmental protection and natural resources efficiency.
As a company we are proud to announce that we have met, three years ahead of time, our 2020 goals to reduce energy and water consumption by 15% compared to 2014.
After achieving such astounding results, we have set science based targets of 30% reductions in Greenhouse Gas Emissions in both our operations and our products in use by 2025, using a 2005 baseline. As the initiative explains, “science-based targets provide companies with a clearly defined pathway to future-proof growth by specifying how much and how quickly they need to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions”. More specifically, targets “are considered ‘science-based’ only if they are in line with the level of decarbonization required to keep global temperature increase below 2 degrees Celsius compared to pre-industrial temperatures”.
We have taken on recycling programs for our products in more than 40 countries throughout the world and continue to innovate on circular economy approaches. Up to now, more than 95% of our waste goes to recycling. Our goal is Zero Waste to Landfill in all our manufacturing sites in the globe.
In addition to our commitment to the environment and to the planet, we concentrate our efforts to create strong connections with the communities where we operate because we believe great communities are the foundation of great business. Together with communities, we strive to create a collective impact, focusing on a variety of levels, from focusing on the social safety net to support the health and wellness needs of area residents through helping to provide safe and affordable housing to best support youth and education development.
I am proud to work for a company that has been committed to sustainability for almost half a century. A company that truly believes that driving product efficiency, eliminating high-impact greenhouse gases, and improving efficiency throughout operations is not only good for the environment, it’s good for business too. This is why, for us, sustainability matters.
To know more about our commitment to sustainability and corporate responsibility, read our 2017 Sustainability Report, now available online.
Karim Bruneo
Corporate Responsibility and Government Relations, Whirlpool EMEA
