BENTON HARBOR, Mich., May 6, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Whirlpool Corporation (NYSE: WHR) announced today 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.

"Whirlpool Corporation has a longstanding commitment to sustainability and we established our first office for sustainability over 50 years ago," said Marc Bitzer, chairman and CEO of Whirlpool Corporation. "Our net zero commitment is an important milestone in our ongoing effort to improve life at home by protecting our planet and communities."

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 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. For more information on how to embrace a sustainable lifestyle in your home, visit our Improving Life at Home hub.

About Whirlpool Corporation
Whirlpool Corporation (NYSE: WHR) is the world's leading kitchen and laundry appliance company, with approximately $19 billion in annual sales, 78,000 employees and 57 manufacturing and technology research centers in 2020. The company markets Whirlpool, KitchenAid, Maytag, Consul, Brastemp, Amana, Bauknecht, JennAir, Indesit and other major brand names in nearly every country throughout the world. Additional information about the company can be found at WhirlpoolCorp.com.

Forward-Looking statements:
This press release contains certain forward-looking statements that are not historical facts or current facts, including those related to net zero commitments and broader emissions and waste reduction targets, efforts and initiatives, and reporting of progress on these targets and initiatives. These forward-looking statements convey Whirlpool's current expectations or forecasts of future events. Forward-looking statements are generally identified through the inclusion of words such as "aim," "anticipate," "believe," "drive," "estimate," "expect," "focus," "goal," "intend," "may," "plan," "project," "strategy," "target" and "will" or similar statements or variations of such terms and other similar expressions. Forward-looking statements regarding Whirlpool involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause Whirlpool's actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from any future results, performances or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements in this press release. Certain of these risks and uncertainties are described in the "Risk Factors" section of Whirlpool's most recent annual report on Form 10-K and quarterly report on Form 10-Q. You are cautioned not to place undue reliance on the forward-looking statements contained herein, which are made only as of the date of this document. Whirlpool does not undertake any obligation to publicly release any updates or revisions to any forward-looking statements to reflect the impact of events or circumstances that arise after the date the forward-looking statements were made.

SOURCE Whirlpool Corporation