- In line with the global results, the Europe, Middle East and Africa Region (EMEA) has recorded an 11% reduction of energy consumption, water consumption has reached a -27%, while CO2 emissions have decreased by 11 percentage points compared to 2014.
- Significant commitment towards communities: 60,000 of the more than 300,000 total employee volunteerism hours are “donated in EMEA”; more than 100 nonprofit organizations supported.
Comerio (Varese, Italy), 2 November 2016 – Whirlpool has published its 2015 Sustainability Report, which shows the commitment to projects that can deliver tangible value for the communities in which the Company operates, through an integrated approach to sustainability, both environmental and social. A value originating from solutions that help Customers and Society as a whole to spend quality time only, that time made of moments that truly matter.
Whirlpool has always been committed to create purposeful innovation, building technologies that can lower the environmental impact through renewables, as well as encouraging the recycling and recovery of products at the end of their life cycle. This commitment leads to a concrete economic and social benefit for the community.
According to the most recent G4 guidelines of the Global Reporting Initiative, the Whirlpool 2015 Sustainability Report focuses on material (or relevant) issues for the Company and its stakeholders, identified through the dialogue and engagement process with the stakeholders themselves: a steady path that reflects Whirlpool sustainability journey and its ability to evolve in an ever-changing environment.
Three are the goals established in order to improve the performances:
- 90% full material transparency on all new products by 2020
- 15% reduction of energy and water use in manufacturing from 2014 levels
- Zero landfill waste from manufacturing by 2022
Reducing environmental impacts of processes and products
In 2015, Whirlpool Corporation has achieved in its facilities a net reduction of water and energy use, CO2 emissions and waste production, by encouraging also voluntary recycling of products at the end of their life cycle. In the EMEA region, the environmental performance recorded vs 2014:
- –11% energy consumption, from 28,91 to 25,67 KWh per unit produced. Savings equal to the average consumption of 30,000 homes.
- -27% water consumption, a reduction from 123.3 to 89.5 liters per unit produced. A delta equal to 8% of the annual consumption of water for household use in Italy.
- –11% CO2 emissions, which means that in 2015 the emission of over 20,000 tons of CO2 has been avoided, the equivalent of 3,000 cars with an average mileage of 30,000 km in a year.
- -8% waste production, the equivalent of what is produced on average by a 50,000-inhabitant city.
An honorable mention on the environmental front goes to Italy. The Naples plant has a photovoltaic system producing more than 630,000 kWh per year (approximately 10% of its electric needs), which brings a yearly saving of about 500 tons of CO2. In Siena production site, a heat recovery system allows the re-use of hot air produced by chillers of thermoforming machines and compressors to warm up factory locations and reduce energy use from heating systems.
The commitment towards an efficient waste management is not limited to industrial processes and encompasses the products’ sphere: in early October 2016, Whirlpool Corporation signed a partnership with standardized labeling system How2Recycle, which gives consumers simplified instructions on how to best recycle product packaging materials. By joining, Whirlpool Corporation has become the first appliance manufacturer member of the system.
Promoting social development by investing in the Communities
The territories in which Whirlpool operates are the basin of the community relations activities of the Group, where employees play the role of undisputed protagonists:
- 1 in 3 employees volunteer
- 316,500 employee volunteerism hours
- More than 300 nonprofit organizations impacted globally through volunteerism and donations.
In EMEA, 60,000 are the hours that employees Whirlpool in 2015 donated in social activities, 110 the non-profit associations supported, 470,000 euro the funds allocated and 2,500 the appliances donated. With clear and tangible results: there are more than 55,000 people, in fact, who have directly benefited from these concrete actions in the social sphere.
One in all, the partnership with Habitat for Humanity, an organization that helps people helps people to find strength, stability and independence through safe, decent and affordable shelters. Since 2004, Whirlpool has donated over 1,100 appliances to more than 75,000 families in 37 EMEA countries, and more than 1,000 employees have donated more than 21,000 hours of their work.
On the Italian side, the project with the Red Cross stands out, by welcoming migrants and refugees (about 2,500 beneficiaries) and managing the emergence of the August 24th earthquake that hit Central Italy, through donation of appliances and working hours from employees.
The Report is available online on our website at:
https://whirlpoolcorp.com/environmental-sustainability/