June 5 is World Environment Day, the biggest international day for the environment. It has been held annually since 1974 and is led by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) to inspire positive change.  

Positive change is needed more than ever. Two months ago, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) published its latest report on climate change. The IPCC concluded that without immediate and strong emission reductions across all sectors, limiting global warming to 1.5°C – the target of the so-called Paris Agreement – is beyond reach. 

The good news is, however, that awareness of sustainable behavior is constantly rising. A Boston Consulting Group survey of more than 3,000 people across eight countries found that in the wake of the pandemic people are more concerned about addressing environmental challenges and are more committed to changing their own behavior to advance sustainability. 

It’s time not only for governments but also for companies like BSH to step up and guide people from all corners of the earth on their sustainability journey.

As you know, we are already underway and making significant progress. See what has already been achieved here:

Action for climate protection in our direct influence sphere

BSH was one of the first companies in its industry to achieve carbon neutrality in manufacturing. Already since 2020, all BSH locations worldwide operate without leaving a carbon footprint behind. We achieved this by using processes that save energy and need less fossil fuels to manufacture our products, and by using green electricity, which we generate ourselves or buy instead. 

Currently, we are replacing roughly 63 percent of the emissions resulting from fossil fuels that are still necessary with green energy sources. The remaining 37 percent are offset by projects with so-called Gold Standard and Verified Carbon Standard certification. Over time, we will reduce the number of necessary certificates. 

 

 

By 2030, our aim is to supply all locations worldwide with 100 percent green electricity. And we are bounding forward: Take our production site Montanana in Spain. A newly installed photovoltaic system will provide sufficient electricity to run the entire factory – no additional external electricity sources required! 

Another example is our planned cooling factory in Mexico! We strive to generate all the electricity required for our manufacturing processes with a large photovoltaic installation. A small, but cardinal move is the shortened supply distances, which will lead to further CO2 savings.

Action for climate protection outside our direct sphere of influence

Having set our operations carbon-neutral is not where we stop. We also address what we cannot directly influence ourselves. These so-called “Scope 3 emissions” result from activities, such as:

• production of materials and parts of our business partners, which we use for our own manufacturing processes, 
• transportation to and from our sites, 
• energy consumption resulting from the use of our products at consumers’ homes,
• returning, refurbishing, or recycling our products.

As we cannot directly influence Scope 3 emissions, we have found ways to reduce the resulting emissions by indirect means. And we have set ourselves ambitious targets for 2030.

On the one hand, we will reduce the indirect emissions resulting from our supplier’s material and logistics processes. Thereby taking an even closer look at our partners in the supply chain and the disclosure of their actual CO2-related performance. On the other hand, we will continue to reduce our products’ energy consumption, resulting in lower energy bills and less resulting CO2 emissions at home. 

Our ambitious target for 2030 is to reduce Scope 3 emissions by 15 percent (compared to 2018). 

And again, we are well underway – both, with a view to the energy consumption of our products but also regarding the material supply. 

In Cerkezköy, Turkey and La Cartuja, Spain, BSH has recently launched its new 9 kg washing machines with the highest energy label class “A”. This is not only friendly to our consumers’ wallets but also reduces their individual carbon footprint, thereby contributing to the bigger picture and our company’s sustainability goals. 

From a material perspective, it’s worth mentioning our collaboration with Salzgitter AG. As of September 2021, BSH sources green steel with a 66 percent reduced carbon footprint from Salzgitter AG for washing machine production in Lodz, Poland. This low CO2 steel will initially be used for mounting brackets. The drum is made of stainless steel produced from steel scrap and alloying elements in an electric arc furnace, and therefore already has a low CO2 footprint.

Be assured, that this is just the beginning. There are so many teams at BSH working on various sustainability-related projects that spark enthusiasm!

#BecauseEveryJourneyStartsAtHome