Whirlpool Corporation Commits to Achieving Net Zero Emissions in Plants and Operations by 2030

Whirlpool Corporation announced a global commitment to reach a net zero emissions target in its plants and operations by 2030. The commitment will cover more than 30 of Whirlpool Corporation’s manufacturing sites and its large distribution centers around the world, spanning all direct (Scope 1) and power-related (Scope 2) emissions.

Whirlpool Corporation has also committed to a 20 percent reduction in emissions linked to the use of its products across the globe (Scope 3) by 2030, compared to 2016 levels. This target has been approved by the Science Based Targets initiative, and builds on the company’s 60 percent reduction in emissions across all scopes since 2005.

Learn why this is important to Whirlpool Corporation from our chairman and CEO, Marc Bitzer:

Video Transcript Expand

We’re not a startup. We haven’t been around for 10 years, we’ve been around for 110 years. Our company actually set up its first office for environmental affairs in 1969.

If you’re responsible for leading a company with that history, you don’t only think about the next two or three years. You think about what will our business, what will our company, how will our life in general terms look like in 50 years? And you realize that if we don’t do our part in shaping the environment around us, you risk your own future. If you think about what we can do as a company in terms of shaping the future of our planet, the leverage which we have is huge.

I’m very proud and pleased when we can announce our net zero targets by 2030, but maybe more important is on how we aim to achieve it. And that is by absolutely minimizing the carbon emissions from our big industrial operations.

So it’s everything from making a factory more energy efficient, from lights to solar panels. We have windmills next to our factories. The vast majority of our companies basically have no landfill waste anymore. It’s all either recycled or reused. It’s a long-term commitment to sustainability, which frankly was not created by me. That comes with the DNA of our company and will always be a big part of our DNA. If you tie it back to our vision of improving life at home, there is no life if there is no planet, to put it the most simple way.

With our products, we can help every family to also make their part in helping the broader environment. And I think it’s ultimate realization, if we don’t shape our future at large, who will?

 

Scope 1 and 2 Emissions

Whirlpool Corporation will achieve its target of reaching zero emissions across its plants and operations by 2030 through its ongoing and accelerated sustainability initiatives, including:

• Working towards 100 percent renewable energy usage through a combination of:
  • Wind turbine and solar panel installation, building on the company’s record low levels of energy and water usage per appliance built.
  • Entry into Virtual Power Purchase Agreements (VPPAs) and PPAs with energy companies to fund wind and solar farms as the company works to source and generate renewable energy for homes across the world. Whirlpool Corporation broke ground on its first VPPA financed project in Texas in January of 2021. This will cover 50 percent of its Scope 2 emissions in the U.S. and help reduce its overall operations’ carbon footprint by nearly 15 percent.
• Energy efficiency improvements in plants and processes, including installing LEDs and implementing Energy Management Systems in all plants and facilities.
• Leveraging carbon removal development investments to offset any remaining emissions that cannot be avoided.

Whirlpool Corporation is committed to robust transparency through regular updates and detailed disclosure in its annual sustainability report.

 

Scope 3 Emissions

To combat Scope 3 emissions, Whirlpool Corporation is working to design its products to make them more energy and water efficient. As part of this, the company is investing in innovations that automate water levels, utilize cold water settings as default, and help auto-dose detergents to further lower its environmental impacts and save consumers time and money. Through these efforts, Whirlpool Corporation is targeting a reduction in Scope 3 Category 11 emissions by an additional 20 percent over 2016 levels by 2030, building on the 60 percent reduction in the carbon footprint of its products in use since 2005.

 

“We are committed to working with our stakeholders to continue to drive improvements across the entire value chain in an ambition to reach net zero across all our Scope 1, 2 and 3 emissions in the long term.”

 

“We are proud of the commitments we have made today, but we recognize our climate impacts extend beyond our plants and facilities,” said Ron Volgewede, global sustainability director for Whirlpool Corporation. “That’s why we are committed to working with our stakeholders to continue to drive improvements across the entire value chain in an ambition to reach net zero across all our Scope 1, 2 and 3 emissions in the long term.”

As plastics production and end of life are a large contributor to greenhouse gas emissions, Whirlpool Corporation is also taking action to reduce waste material as part of its efforts to tackle climate challenges, including:

• Maximizing its use of materials and minimizing waste to landfill as part of its drive to adopt World Class Manufacturing processes. Whirlpool Corporation is working to achieve zero waste to landfill across all global manufacturing facilities by 2022. Over 70 percent of Whirlpool Corporation’s manufacturing sites are currently zero waste to landfill.
• Increasing the proportion of recycled materials used in products and keeping products out of landfills by refurbishing and reselling them.
• Working directly with its customers to prevent waste materials from going to landfills, by providing free recycling of packaging.

 

In addition, as a reduction in food waste could cut greenhouse gas emissions by 6-8 percent according to the Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations, Whirlpool Corporation is using its unique position as a kitchen appliance manufacturer to help prevent food waste across the globe. Its efforts include the “Moments Not to Be Wasted” campaign, an educational campaign designed to help raise awareness of food waste amongst families in its Europe, Middle East and Africa Region (EMEA).

To learn more about Whirlpool Corporation’s sustainability commitments, please visit here.