Sustainability Q&A with Henrik Sundström,
VP Sustainability Affairs

What were the main sustainability achievements for Electrolux in 2018?

Our overall progress in terms of sustainability was well summarized by our employees through the results of the 2018 Employee Engagement Survey. The survey concluded that 83% of our employees consider sustainability to be a natural part of their everyday work and 80% are proud of the progress Electrolux has made with environmental and social responsibility. This is a significant increase compared to 74% in 2016 for both areas.

The approval of our new science-based targets was clearly a great achievement. We also continued to demonstrate our climate leadership by being included in the CDP A list for the third year running and scoring B in the CDP Water questionnaire.

We made progress in terms of conflict minerals by expanding our Conflict Minerals Due Diligence Program and continuing to work with our suppliers to increase awareness and mitigate risks. We published an expanded conflict minerals report that investigated over 400 suppliers. The report was inspired by US legislation on conflict minerals, but we conducted it voluntarily to address the risks in our supply chain.

We also retained our position as an industry leader in the Consumer Durables category of the Dow Jones Sustainability Index (DJSI World). It is the twelfth consecutive year that Electrolux receives this recognition based on the assessment by RobecoSAM, and we were the only company in the sector to receive the RobecoSam Gold Class award.

Could you tell us more about the science-based climate target that Jonas also mentioned?

To set science-based target means that we have thoroughly analyzed the climate footprint throughout our value chain and defined targets in line with the Paris Climate Agreement.

Our science-based target includes our operations (scope 1 & 2), high impact greenhouse gases (scope 1 & 3), and the use phase of our products (Scope 3). This crucially aligns our climate work with international efforts by contributing toward the below 2 degree target set by the Paris Agreement, and will guide our business in line with what the planet can cope with. Achieving our targets will able us to save almost 50 million metric tons of CO₂.

How has the Electrolux Food Foundation developed?

The Electrolux Food Foundation is our means to inspire more sustainable food choices among consumers and professionals, and to support people in need in the communities around us. In 2018, we finalized our first phase to develop good processes, cooperation with external partners and formulate targets. In 2019, we intend to scale up and replicate good practice.

What were the main challenges or difficulties faced during the year?

We are not satisfied with our progress on our 2020 recycled material targets – mainly due to it taking longer than expected for us to integrate recycled materials into our products. We are therefore now working to replicate our good practice around the world and are developing even more ambitious action plans and targets for 2030.

Progress on product energy efficiency was also hindered during the year by external societal factors – such as slower implementation of energy labeling and energy performance standards in some markets.

Does Electrolux abide by the latest Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) standards?

Yes, this Sustainability Report is in accordance with the latest GRI Standards. Our transition to the GRI Standards was completed smoothly during the year. This involved further developing our management approach, which gives us – as well as our stakeholders – even more clarity on how we manage our sustainability work and drive our sustainability agenda.

What are you most looking forward to in 2019?

We have a great deal to look forward to. Our current sustainability framework – For the Better – has targets defined for 2020 and we will now update the framework for 2030. We have also started a process to develop our purpose – Shape living for the better – in which sustainability is a key pillar. Finally, the Group's 100-year anniversary will highlight how Electrolux has been fundamental to shaping the way we live today, but also how we can contribute to more sustainable lifestyles for the next 100 years.