Electrolux 1999 Annual Report Download - page 67

Electrolux Annual Report 1999 65
The Electrolux environmental strategy is
to lead the development of products and
processes with high environmental per-
formance and to actively promote
demand for these products.
Driving forces
The main driving forces for the Group’s
environmental strategy are:
● Increasing demand for products with
lower environmental impact and lower
consumption of resources such as
electricity, water and chemicals
● The potential for reducing consump-
tion of resources, and thus reducing
environmental impact and costs
● Increasingly more rigorous environ-
mental criteria in the form of laws and
regulations, mainly referring to energy
consumption, recycling, use of chemi-
cals, and emission limits for combustion
engines in e.g. outdoor products.
In general, the environmental impact of
the Group’s products is greatest during
use, through consumption of e.g. electric-
ity, fuel and water. Better environmental
performance generates lower total cost
for the consumer over the lifetime of the
product. Products featuring high resource-
efficiency and low environmental impact
thus provide competitive benefits. This is
the basis for Electrolux proactive and
constructive environmental strategy.
Organization of environmental activities
On the basis of the Group’s environmen-
tal strategy, each business sector develops
its own strategy for environmental activ-
ities. In each sector, a number of environ-
mental coordinators report to a Sector
Environmental Responsible. At the cor-
porate level, Group Environmental Affairs
provides support and is responsible for
the Group’s environmental reports, com-
munication and training aids.
Electrolux has identified a number of
Corporate Environmental minimum
requirements that apply in all business
sectors.These include introduction of an
environmental management system and
Environmental Performance Indicators, as
well as continuous improvement of com-
petence.
In 1995 the Group began work on
implementing environmental manage-
ment systems in all production units. All
systems are scheduled to be in place by
2000. Six units were certified according
to ISO 14001 during 1999, bringing the
total number of certified facilities to 40,
representing 41% of the Group’s total fac-
tory floor area. One previously ISO
14001-certified unit was divested during
the year. Six units have also registered
environmental management systems
according to the European regulation
EMAS.
Resource-efficiency
Work on achieving more efficient use of
resources is focused on improvement of
products and production processes. Since
the greatest environmental impact occurs
when a product is used, resource-efficient
products generate the biggest environ-
mental benefits.
For the Group’s consumer products,
greater resource-efficiency involves both
environmental benefits and cost savings
for the user.
Electrolux refrigerators and freezers
sold in Europe during 1999 featured 6%
higher energy-efficiency. For combined
refrigerators/freezers the increase was 4%,
and for chest freezers 13%.The corres-
ponding figure for washing machines is
5%.This enables substantial savings in
consumption of energy as well as reduced
emissions of carbon dioxide.
Professional users are interested in
the life-cycle cost of a product as a com-
ponent of investment decisions, and
therefore demand efficient products.
User preferences and stricter legisla-
tion create demand for outdoor products
with lower environmental impact in the
form of e.g. lower exhaust-gas emissions
and noise levels as well as better ergo-
nomics.This applies to both professional
and private users.
Action is continuously taken at the
Group’s production units to reduce con-
sumption of materials, water and energy,
which has resulted in lower environmen-
tal impact and lower costs. Material effi-
ciency for the Group is approximately
86%.This means that 100 kg of materials
input is needed to manufacture 86 kg of
product.
The Group’s environmental activities
2
Energy efficient products are better for the environment and cost less
The cost for electricity during use of a refrigerator in energy class C exceeds the purchase price. In the example,
the slightly higher purchase price for the class A refrigerator is compensated by the lower electricity cost after
less than four years. The lower life-cycle cost for the class A refrigerator goes hand in hand with the lower
environmental impact during the life cycle.
Source: IEA, Electrolux
LCA calculations made according to ISO 14040. Calculations based on a life span of ten years.
Customer use
Production
euros kg CO -equivalents/product
2,500
2,000
1,500
1,000
500
1,600
1,200
800
400
Energy class A Energy class C Energy class A Energy class C
Electricity cost during use
Purchase