Our ESG Approach

While Whirlpool has always been committed to doing the right thing, with climate change and social justice continuing to grow in importance to stakeholders, companies like Whirlpool are accelerating their focus on responsive ESG strategies and initiatives.

Additionally, the adoption of international sustainability-focused initiatives such as the United Nations (UN) Global Compact, the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the Paris Climate Agreement has drawn the international community’s attention to companies’ environmental impacts.

Consistent with our past record on the environment and in recognition of evolving demands, macro trends and our materiality assessment, we took numerous steps to strengthen our ESG framework in 2020 and respond to our internal and external stakeholders:

  1. We strengthened how we govern and execute on our ESG efforts.
  2. We enhanced our reporting practices, notably with the addition of a TCFD disclosure framework, while continuing to report under the SASB standards.
  3. We executed a Virtual Power Purchase Agreement (VPPA) in the U.S. that we believe will drive significant emissions reductions across Whirlpool Corporation’s supply chain, while representing an important step in our commitment to keeping global warming well below the 2 degree Celsius required by the Paris Agreement (more on Our Environmental Approach).
  4. We updated our employee engagement strategy to be more agile and flexible in order to enable employee concerns to be fully heard (more on Workforce Development & Engagement).
  5. We established a new Executive Inclusion and Diversity Council driving accountability in all regions and helping eliminate barriers to inclusion (more on Diversity & Equal Opportunity).
  6. We obtained external limited assurance on the disclosure of our greenhouse gas emissions to provide further confidence in the quality of our reporting.

We further integrated our ESG principles within Whirlpool Corporation’s strategy and across the value chain to better address both short- and long-term risks and opportunities:

  • Environmental/Climate Change: Our environmental sustainability efforts are designed to address global warming, landfill waste, and the environmental challenges our consumers face, while recognizing the impact of climate change on our enterprise. Scenarios taking into account the potential effects of climate change are built into our business. Our commitment is further demonstrated through enhanced reporting aligned with the TCFD recommendations. See our TCFD Index for more information.
  • Health & Safety: Our Global Environment, Health, Safety and Sustainability (EHSS) Policy, goals and actions through World Class Manufacturing (WCM) and EHSS Management Systems are just a few examples that showcase our commitment to provide our employees with a safe work environment. Our efforts are focused on preventing work-related injuries and illnesses, fostering active participation at all levels in our EHSS processes and adopting behaviors that improve our performance and culture.
  • Human Capital & Human Rights: Our ability to attract, develop and retain talent is crucial to our operations and future growth. Our commitment to global human rights is reflected through Our Integrity Manual and the standards we expect from our employees, suppliers and business partners globally.
  • Product Safety & Quality: We recognize that product safety and quality are at the forefront of everything we do, and a critical component in earning and retaining the trust of our consumers. From being the first principle of Our Integrity Manual to our comprehensive Global Product Safety (GPS) system, our multidecade track record is a testament to how Whirlpool Corporation goes above and beyond industry standards.
  • Ethics & Compliance: Whirlpool Corporation’s Global Ethics & Compliance Program is designed with a comprehensive risk-based framework that is sustained through the efforts of a committed global team, along with robust policies, procedures and systems for sustaining organizational integrity.
Product at the core

A Whirlpool Dishwasher

Our new global platform approach incorporates Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) principles and goals for true holistic impact.

ZERO

Manufactured at gold level (UL2799) Zero Waste to Landfill plants.

3 to 4 times

More water-efficient vs. handwashing with most of our dishwashers saving over 2,500 gallons a year.1

15%

Renewable electricity from our on-site wind farm at our dishwasher plant in Findlay, Ohio.

70%

Reduction in GHG emissions achieved by dishwashers during their use phase compared to manual handwashing.1

saves
30

minutes of time per cycle vs. handwashing, thereby freeing over 100 hours1 per year for families.

Our largest capacity
3rd Rack
dishwashers help you make more room when you need it2.

Holistic innovation using Design for Environment principles in our global platforms connecting product sustainability directly with business goals.

Responsible sourcing with supplier audits and aggressive standards on restricted materials.

Product safety process with industry-leading best practices and benchmarked by other companies to improve their own programs.

1 Based on favorable water and energy use comparison against KitchenAid Model No. KDTM354ESS, which were compared to manual handwashing among 40 study subjects using conditions and assumptions set forth in Gabriela Y Porras et al 2020 Environ. Res. Commun. 2 021004. Assumes 215 cycles / year.

2 Models WDTA80SAK, WDT750SAK, WDTA50SAK based on total usable volume. Compared to 3rd Rack models WDTA75SAH, WDT970SAH, WDT975SAH. Handle styles vary by model.

Our ESG Framework

In 2020, we refined our governance structure to further strengthen our commitment to ESG and better drive progress in our work.

Our Executive Committee (EC) approved the formation of a new Social and Governance Council and supplemented the existing Environmental Sustainability Council, with three EC members assigned to each council. Whirlpool Corporation’s Corporate Controller is accountable for reporting to the EC and the Board of Directors on ESG matters.

Board of Directors
Executive Committee (EC)
Corporate Controller
3 EC Sponsors
3 EC Sponsors
Environmental Sustainability Council:
EHSS, Procurement, Supply Chain, Manufacturing, Product Design & Quality, Marketing
Social & Governance Council:
Reputation, Compliance, Human Resources, Investor Relations, Legal, Risk Mgmt
Cross-Functional ESG Task Force

We believe that ESG is fundamental to our strategy and business, so we expanded our ESG Task Force to include key individuals and leaders from all functional areas to support execution of our key ESG initiatives, including members from:

  • Communications
  • Compliance
  • Environment, Health, Safety and Sustainability (EHSS)
  • Global Information Systems
  • Global Product Organization
  • Global Product Quality, Safety & Regulatory
  • Government Relations
  • Human Resources
  • Integrated Supply Chain
  • Investor Relations
  • Legal
  • Manufacturing
  • Marketing
  • Procurement
  • Risk Management
  • Tax and Treasury

As outlined in the ESG Task Force Charter, its responsibilities include:

Reporting: Provide input for annual Sustainability Report and ESG Rating surveys

Planning: Continually monitor and evaluate Whirlpool Corporation’s ESG current state and perception through stakeholder engagement and benchmarking

Prioritization:

  • Recommend prioritization and appropriate monitoring and benchmarking of material topics reported on an annual basis
  • Oversee and review the results of materiality assessment

Communication & Education:

  • Educate and regularly communicate with functional leadership team,
  • Regularly communicate with members of the ESG Councils and EC on progress toward the Task Force’s objectives, and
  • Engage with various stakeholders in establishing and carrying out Whirlpool Corporation’s ESG strategies.