Page 29 - Green Builder July-August 2019 Issue

Whirlpool

Corporation

Even after half a century, new green frontiers

are still being reached.

HEN WHIRLPOOL BEGAN or ˜ll 240 Olympic swimming pools.
integrating sustainability Whirlpool’s green presence is being
into its operations, Richard felt outside the workplace as well. The
Nixon was president, company is using automated Seabins along
W mankind was about to the coasts of the United Kingdom and Italy
conquer the moon and “going green” had a to collect 3.3 pounds of waste plastic out
very di€erent, politically incorrect meaning. of local water per bin each day, primarily
Fifty years later, the home appliance giant in the form of shopping bags and beverage
is still finding ways to make employees, bottles. A successful run could bring the
retailers and the public pay attention to the tool stateside. The company has over the
environment. past two decades donated nearly 200,000
The company follows a “three Ps” green energy-e‰cient appliances to Habitat for
strategy: Sustainable Plants, which includes Humanity for the organization’s a€ordable
e€orts such as the prioritizing and tracking homes projects. And the ReNEWW House,
of e‰ciency improvements—which helped Whirlpool’s live-in research laboratory at “Successful and vibrant
cut greenhouse gas emissions by 7 percent Purdue University, continues to develop
from 2017 to 2018, the equivalent of 10,000 ideas on how consumers, their homes, communities are the
systems, appliances and the grid can
homes’ electricity use annually; Sustainable
COURTESY OF WHIRLPOOL Products, such as a new global emissions work together in a more environmentally foundation of a great
management system, which unifies 12
responsible fashion.
business. That’s why
footprint-measuring methods into one
It’s a tall order, but nothing that Whirlpool
global reporting capability; and Sustainable
Practices, which includes water reduction can’t handle, according to CEO Marc Bitzer. Whirlpool is committed to
“At Whirlpool, we believe in doing the right
processes and technology to cut consumption thing, because there’s no right way to do a maintaining strong
by nearly 10 percent from 2017 to 2018 in the wrong thing,” he says. “Doing the right thing
company’s manufacturing facilities. That’s compels us to embrace sustainability in all connections in our
enough to run 56 million dishwasher loads its dimensions.”
communities and being a
leader in social

responsibility and

volunteerism.”

Marc Bitzer, CEO/
COURTESY OF WHIRLPOOL COURTESY OF WHIRLPOOL Chairman

The three Ps. Whirlpool’s
sustainability strategy centers upon
how to get things done, where it
happens and what the end result
should be.
www.greenbuildermedia.com July/August 2019 GREEN BUILDER 27

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