Whirlpool Corporation’s global sustainability strategy drove even more meaningful change in communities and on the planet in 2021. Watch to see.
Whirlpool Corp’s 110-year anniversary was a year that built on its Environmental, Social, and Governance (“ESG”) initiatives and a continuation of the commitment to being the best kitchen and laundry company, in constant pursuit of improving life at home. During 2021, our company focused on strengthening our global sustainability strategy by collaborating with organizations to drive meaningful change in communities and on the planet.
In recognition of all of these efforts, Whirlpool Corp.:
- Rose to number four on Newsweek’s Ranking of America’s Most Responsible Companies for 2022
- Received a Perfect 100 on the 2021 Corporate Equality Index
- Named to the 2021 Dow Jones Sustainability Indices, Forbes’ 2021 List of ‘World’s Best Employers’, and Fortune’s 2021 World’s Most Admired Companies List.
“Sustainability has remained a core part of our company’s values and culture and we continue to innovate our products and operations to deliver on our social and environmental sustainability goals,” said Pam Klyn, senior vice president of Communications, Public Affairs and Sustainability for Whirlpool Corp.
Whirlpool Corp. focused its 2021 community efforts around House+Home, supporting affordable housing builds through Habitat for Humanity, and helping to create resilient communities through education and neighborhood development. Initiatives took place where Whirlpool Corp. operates in the U.S. and also embraced communities across North America, South America, Asia and its Europe, Middle East and Africa region.
Highlights from Whirlpool Corp’s 2021 community-based projects include:
- Whirlpool brand brought the Care Counts Laundry Program to Benton Harbor Area Schools and announced its first global expansion into Colombia.
- Maytag introduced a new “Feel Good Fridge” Initiative to help provide access to healthy food for children.
- Whirlpool Corp. appliance donations aided the Southwest Michigan community in their mission to support those in need.
- Whirlpool Corp. launched a House + Home World Tour to highlight its expanded global work with Habitat for Humanity and other community initiatives across the globe.
- Habitat for Humanity kicked off the BuildBetter with Whirlpool initiative, which expands upon their efforts to help homeowners mitigate the impact of climate change, building more than 250 climate-resilient and energy-efficient homes for those in need of affordable housing over the next three years.
Since 2002, Whirlpool Corp. has supported women entrepreneurs with Consulado da Mulher, which works to improve and empower the lives of socially vulnerable women, eradicate poverty, and promote gender equality in Brazil.
To minimize its climate impact, reduce its carbon footprint, and be a leader in environmental sustainability, Whirlpool Corp. executed several actions in 2021, including:
- Committed to achieving Net Zero emissions in its plants and operations around the world by 2030
- Made significant progress to reach Zero Waste to Landfill in 2022.
- Reduced its carbon footprint over 30 percent with wind VPPA agreements covering 100 percent of US plant electricity emissions.
- Issued its inaugural $300 million sustainability bond to finance social and environmental projects across the organization.
- Launched a global No Place for Waste campaign to educate stakeholders on how to take small actions to make a collective environmental impact at home.
- Redesigned its consumer-facing website ImprovingLifeAtHome.com to give simple, effective tips to consumers on how they can use their appliances to be more environmentally sustainable.
- Remain committed to being a participant in the United Nations (UN) Global Compact and continue to expand efforts to uphold sustainable and responsible business practices in day-to-day global operations.