BETTER SOLUTIONS
Eliminate harmful materials
Our consumers can feel reassured that we are managing chemicals carefully and replacing those that cause concern.
Our promise
Electrolux will protect people and the environment by managing chemicals carefully and continuing to replace those that cause concern.
Read more about our progress on this Promise
Roadmap 2015 to 2020
- Implement a best-in-class global system for improving the control of chemicals throughout our complex supply chain and work with suppliers to replace chemicals of concern.
- Raise the bar on chemical requirements, taking into account new scientific findings.
- Eliminate high-impact greenhouse gases from our products.
The case for action
As the use of chemicals increases, we need to be increasingly aware of the impact of chemicals on people and the environment.
We want consumers to feel reassured that Electrolux has a robust approach to choosing materials for its products – to protect human health and the environment. Consumers are increasingly aware of chemicals and are raising their expectations on appliance companies such as Electrolux.
Our approach
Chemical management and compliance
The Electrolux Global Chemicals Office coordinates and manages the chemicals listed on our Restricted Materials List throughout the Group and among our suppliers. The Restricted Material List, which is an integral part of our contracts with suppliers, provides information about chemical phase-out as well as the requirements for the use of chemicals. We continuously update the list in light of new legislation and research, as well as demands from consumers and NGOs.
Our environmental management process tracks material use on a site-by-site basis. Focusing on high-risk applications and suppliers, we test thousands of components every year for chemical compliance at Electrolux laboratories and selected approved institutes.
Eco@web
The Eco@web online database is our Group chemical management tool, and includes detailed information on the chemicals used in our products. It allows us to avoid unwanted materials and track those that might cause concern in the future. Eco@web helps to manage our complex supply chain of over 3,000 direct suppliers and provides proof of chemical compliance for consumers and institutions.
Challenges
- Driving the phase out of chemicals where it is not supported by regulation.
- Completing the substitution of HFCs in air conditioners, where there are no common industry solutions available.
- Replacing high-impact greenhouse gases needs to be driven industry-wide as solutions are dependent on legislation to enable viable alternatives.
The progress on our promise
How we measure progress
- Level of implementation of the Group chemical management tool Eco@web throughout the organization.
- Annual update of the Electrolux Restricted Materials List.
- Progress on the phase-out of high impact greenhouse gases.
Chemical management and Electrolux Restricted Materials List
In 2019, we continued the global roll out of our Eco@web tool. We completed the implementation of the tool in the Asia-Pacific, Egypt and Europe - including in two recently acquired cooker hood factories. We will continue to work toward completing the global implementation and to cover a larger supply base in the areas where Eco@web has already been installed.
Phase-out of high-impact greenhouse gases.
We focus on phasing out hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) that have a high global warming potential and are used in some markets as refrigerants or for foam blowing. In 2019, Electrolux joined an additional UN initiative - the Cool Coalition. The Group proposed its plan to the UN to accelerate the removal of F-gases from the production of new products and to introduce gases with reduced Global Warming Potential. Submitted in 2020, the plan foresees the replacement of all high-impact greenhouse gases in all Electrolux appliances by 2023 at the latest.
In Europe, our new highly efficient range of heat pump driers will use a hydrocarbon refrigerant in their compressors instead of HFCs.
Following the phase-out of HFCs in refrigerators ahead of legislation in Australia and several countries in Asia, we are in the process of phasing out HFCs in other markets.
We have made significant investments in the U.S. to move to hydrocarbon refrigerants. For example, a large manufacturing site in the U.S. has already replaced a HFC blowing agent with cyclopentane, and other North American operations will follow suit.
Following several years of advocacy in the U.S., spearheaded by Electrolux and the North American industry organization AHAM, U.S. safety standards were revised in 2018 to allow producers of consumer refrigerators and freezers to transition away from HFCs to more eco-friendly hydrocarbon refrigerants. This has enabled the development of new energy efficient products in the 'cold products' category that are part of new automated production processes.
Next steps
| Roadmap 2015 to 2020 | Next steps | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Implement a best-in-class global system for improving the control of chemicals throughout our complex supply chain and work with suppliers to replace chemicals of concern. | Improve the coverage of supplier declarations of chemicals throughout our regions, with particular focus on North America. | dot2 |
| Raise the bar on chemical requirements, taking into account new scientific findings. | Annual update of the Electrolux Restricted Materials List. | dot2 |
| Eliminate all high-impact greenhouse gases from our products. | Continue to phase-out high-impact greenhouse gases in air conditioning, food preservation and fabric care globally. | dot2 |
The next steps towards 2030 will be announced in the 2020 report.
On track
Additional effort is required
Off track
Work has not yet begun
Electrolux
Electrolux is a leading global appliance company that has shaped living for the better for more than 100 years. We reinvent taste, care and wellbeing experiences for millions of people around the world, always striving to be at the forefront of sustainability in society through our solutions and operations. Under our brands, including Electrolux, AEG and Frigidaire, we sell approximately 60 million household products in approximately 120 markets every year. In 2019 Electrolux had sales of SEK 119 billion and employed 49,000 people around the world.
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