At Whirlpool, a simple purpose guides us: Improve the way people live, for today and for future generations. Our size and global presence enable powerful reach and direct impact to change lives for the better, and our experience and results prove sound corporate citizenship and environmental performance are also good business. Sustainability is integrated in our decisions about how we operate plants, design products, empower our people and support communities. It is central to upholding our promise to earn the trust of our stakeholders every day — and to do it for generations to come.
In OurPlants
Whirlpool has long been committed to reducing the water and energy intensity of our operations. In 2018 we made further progress, lowering our combined Scope 1 and 2 emissions by nearly 7 percent from the prior year. Renewables help reduce carbon emissions, and Whirlpool is one of the largest on-site users of wind energy in the U.S. In 2018, we expanded our wind generation by adding three turbines at our manufacturing facility in Greenville, Ohio, that are now fully operational. Our U.S. on-site wind energy program will additionally award $900,000 in STEM scholarships to local students over 20 years. We also took strides toward our goal of zero waste to landfill by 2022. In 2018, eight of our manufacturing facilities across multiple regions achieved zero-waste status.
Improving how we measure performance is another important priority of our sustainability efforts. In 2018, we implemented our first global environment, health and safety (EHS) IT solution. The global cloud-based software platform improves data management, enables easier tracking for regulatory compliance, better maintains a safe workplace through the monitoring of open actions and risks, and protects the health of employees and the public.
In 2017, after reaching our 2020 energy and water efficiency reduction targets three years early, we set more ambitious goals related to GHG emissions in our operations: By 2025, a 30 percent reduction in Scope 1, 2 emissions from our 2005 baseline.
In order to improve transparency and robustness, we have developed a new Global Emissions Management System to determine our global footprint in all regions and all models, tying over 12 unique systems into one global reporting capability. This system will be able to begin to track from 2016 data in a systematic way, greatly improving our ability to act strategically to lower our product portfolio’s carbon footprint.
With OurProducts
Across our global regions Whirlpool leads with innovations that enable our products to operate with greater environmental efficiency. We focus on features like adaptable use to lower overall energy/water/detergent demand while increasing performance. The Brastemp Double Wash, for example, is the only washer in Brazil with two independent baskets that can operate at the same time. Different fabrics and colors can be washed with different soap, softener and water, and, for less-than-full loads, the smaller basket is used to save water.
In Europe, the new Hotpoint 45 cm Dishwasher with ActiveEco technology guarantees A++ energy efficiency. An innovative system automatically opens the door during the drying phase to allow natural air to enter for reduced energy use. We’re also focused on efficient material inputs in our products. In conjunction with an EU initiative, we’ve pledged to use over 44,000 tons of recycled plastics in our European products by 2025.
By Investing InPeople
We succeed when Whirlpool employees succeed. Fostering a diverse, inclusive and engaging work culture that encourages everyone to bring their best self to work is fundamental to our success. That’s why we are proud to have attained a perfect score from the Human Rights Campaign’s U.S. Corporate Equality Index for 15 consecutive years, and to be named a DiversityInc Top Noteworthy Company, which recognizes top organizations for diversity and inclusion management. We are also committed to best-in-class employee benefits, and in 2018 affirmed our commitment to families through an expanded parental leave program in the U.S. that provides up to 12 weeks of paid leave.
Our commitments to philanthropy and volunteerism span many initiatives and priorities, and one of the most meaningful is our 19-year affiliation with Habitat for Humanity. Whirlpool has developed active programs in more than 45 countries with a commitment of more than $107 million. In the United States and Canada, the company has donated nearly 200,000 ranges and refrigerators.