Whirlpool Corporation is an American multinational company specializing in manufacturing and marketing kitchen and laundry appliances. According to Whirlpool Corporation (2021), the company is firmly committed to the development of innovative products that make life easier for its customers. Whirlpool Corporation has come a long way from the introduction of its first devices at the beginning of the 20th century to an entire line of energy-saving and water-efficient appliances today. Whirlpool Corporation (2021) notes that, as the company expands and grows, its orientation towards a culture based on Whirlpool Corporation’s enduring values has remained the same. It includes thinking of improving life at home as not only about improving houses and communities but also as caring about the well-being of planet Earth.
Whirlpool views the socioeconomic prosperity of the communities where its members work and live in as a key to its success. In this way, its emphasis on sustainability and extended producer responsibility (EPR) reflects its purposes and culture. According to Whirlpool Corporation (2022), the company wants its global facilities to be exhibits environmental efficiency and stewardship and reliable collaborators in meeting community needs. Whirlpool Corporation’s sustainable development agenda includes stakeholder participation, management accountability, and a scientifically based methodology to attend to actions driving positive environmental and societal impacts.
The company is maximizing the use of field-based renewable energy sources. As per Whirlpool Corporation (2022), it is focused on efficiency measures regarding energy and water, which are integrated into Whirlpool’s new production system, founded on the principles of World Class Manufacturing. The positive outcomes are evident: for one, Whirlpool Corporation has increased its targets of energy efficiency by almost half in comparison to its 10-year average (Whirlpool Corporation, 2022). Moreover, the company has committed itself to achieving net zero emissions by the year 2030, and this commitment is to span all of its emissions, directs and related to power alike (Whirlpool Corporation, 2022). In addition, Whirlpool Corporation (2022) is on track to achieve its SBTi-approved target of a 20% emission reduction from the company’s products used worldwide by the year 2030 as compared to levels of the year 2016. These commitments will be achieved through continued investment in improvements connected to energy efficiency and by combating waste in every way possible.
It is reasonable to look at Whirlpool Corporation’s goals and actions through the prism of California’s Overall Framework for an Extended Producer Responsibility System. CalRecycle (2008) issued this document more than 15 years ago but it is still relevant for any organization that strives for sustainability and extended producer responsibility. According to CalRecycle (2008), policy goals for the product stewardship program are to include the consideration of all waste stream materials, the advancement of ‘green’ product design, and the provision of measurable benefits through this design. Moreover, as per CalRecycle (2008), the guiding principles of product stewardship are strategies of environmental protection, outcome-based programs, producer responsibility, and system coverage. Whirlpool Corporation seems to be currently addressing all of these goals and principles or striving to meet them.
When it comes to other major organizations’ sustainability agendas that one could compare Whirlpool’s too, it is logical to look at another company producing electronic devices. For one, Apple, which appliances are used by millions of people all around the world and which focuses on improving the environment, is reflected in its annual reports. In its 2021 report, Apple (2022) states that the company already has net-zero carbon emissions for its corporate operations and plans for it to occur for the entire product footprint by the year 2030. In addition to that, Apple (2022) strives to create durable products and packaging with the use of only recycled/renewable materials and improve material recovery as well. Moreover, the company is committed to the stewardship of water resources and to advancing zero waste policy (Apple, 2022). Apple’s strategy is in line with Whirlpool’s, which is not surprising: both companies are leaders in their fields and set the highest goals for themselves. Both strategies are extremely promising on paper, and time will show which one is more successful.
References
Apple. (2022). Environmental progress report [PDF file].
CalRecycle. (2008). Overall Framework for an Extended Producer Responsibility system in California [PDF file].
Whirlpool Corporation. (2021). Sustainability report [PDF file].
Whirlpool Corporation. (2022). Environment. Improving life at home, sustainably.