From taking care of people working for us, to reducing the environmental impact of our products and operations, we hear from our sustainability experts Malin Ekefalk, Head of Social Sustainability, and Tomas Dahlman, Head of Climate and Green Financing.
With 36 years of combined experience working with sustainability at Electrolux Group, they work to advance our sustainability strategy and journey.
Thirty-six years is impressive! Tell us more about your careers at Electrolux Group
Ekefalk: I have always worked with social sustainability and at Electrolux Group we have a long and proud history of working with these topics, but our focus has changed tremendously over the years — from the development of our Ethics Helpline and our approach to human rights to setting up the non-profit Electrolux Food Foundation to heighten awareness around more sustainable food habits and support people in need, as well as our community investment agenda.
Dahlman: The red thread during my long career with the company has been to constantly find new ways for us to reduce our energy footprint throughout our business. I am passionate about working together across functions and regions in this important task, starting with our products and later leading the global Green Spirit program in operations, which became the basis for our first science-based climate target. In recent years, we have added green financing to our work.
How are your roles currently evolving?
Ekefalk: I am continuing to work with human rights as well as overseeing our work with responsible sourcing. My focus will be to ensure that we do not directly or indirectly contribute to harming people. As an organization with more than 40,000 colleagues and thousands of people in our supply chain, we have a great responsibility to take care of people.
Dahlman: With overall responsibility for climate throughout our value chain and green financing, I will continue to guide the mitigation of impacts from our operations and get back to my roots again, by including our products. My role will ensure that we are in line with the set roadmaps and targets in our For the Better 2030 sustainability framework, as well as external expectations, which I see as a priority for us going forward.
How does your position support the Group’s sustainability agenda?
Ekefalk: We strive to align our work with international sustainability standards and norms, incorporating them into our business. With so much new legislation in the pipeline, our challenge is how we can continue to be an industry leader by going beyond new legislation that protects the people working for us and by being a responsible company and role model in the industry.
Dahlman: We’ve done a fantastic job in recent years to reduce the environmental impact of both our products and our operations. We will continue to focus on resource efficiency by working to reduce resource use in our operations, improve the energy efficiency of our products and increase the use of materials which are proven to be more environmentally friendly. As approximately 85% of our climate footprint is generated by our products, this is where we have the greatest potential to reduce our climate impact. Circularity, including materials in products, will also be a focus area.
What do you see as the greatest opportunities?
Ekefalk: Businesses can be role models in their communities and at the same time attract talent, investors and ultimately consumers. How companies treat people throughout their entire value chain is essential for the betterment of this planet — in areas such as ethics, human rights, diversity and inclusion. I’m proud to be part of a company that puts people first.
Dahlman: We help consumers identify products such as Electrolux EcoLine and AEG EcoLine, which are selected according to defined energy-efficiency criteria. By offering products with resource-efficient features and providing guidance on how to use them, we strive to support more resource-conscious habits in the home over time.
