Starting at home

Reputation Institute suggests that in the 2010s, it’s not only what you sell, but also what you stand for and how you conduct business that matter most.

At Electrolux, we know that our sustainability work has to start at home  - by instilling high levels of business integrity, providing safe workplaces and creating operations that demonstrate the best environmental practices. That’s why one of three pillars of our sustainability strategy is built around how we run our business.

Take our 2012 target of 28% energy reductions in our operations as an example. In 2010, Electrolux emitted 173,000 tons less carbon compared to our 2005 benchmark; the equivalent of what 75,000 cars annually emit.

Our approach to implementing our strategy is to cascade it throughout our organization. For us, the ambition is defined centrally, it is up to our local organizations to realize the goals and performance is reported Group-wide. We consider the reporting part crucial. In fact, the quality and completeness of our reporting were some of the reasons Electrolux landed among the top ten Nordic reporters in the 2011 Carbon Disclosure Project ranking, which was released last month.

Our operations are preparing to raise the bar even higher. Take Electrolux Professional’s new facility in Sursee, Switzerland as an example. The site, to be opened in 2012, includes manufacturing facilities, labs, quality management and offices.

The premises are equipped with geothermal energy, making the most of the heat exchange through a closed circuit. It is specifically designed to provide heat and air conditioning without the use of fossil fuels. With the help of a heat pump, it will drastically reduce energy use and hence carbon emissions and the costs of running the factory.

There’s more where that came from, too. We have best practice examples from our factory in Kinston, US, logistics management in Italy and water management at the Adelaide factory in Australia, on how local ingenuity helps us meet ambitious targets and save money in the process.

We know that consumers are taking note and our performance and it reflects on their perception of us in the marketplace.  We know that it makes economic sense, too.

Join the conversation with your insight

• As competition grows, how do we convince more consumers that high standards are worth more than low prices?