Whirlpool reduces 70% of water use in factories

Whirlpool, owner of the brand Brastemp and Consul, managed to reduce by 70% the use of water per item manufactured in the Brazilian units over the past 12 years. Now, the company wants to show that led to economic practices products incorporated in the factories.
"Always work with two dimensions to get efficiency in use of resources, the factory and the product," says the General Manager of sustainability, EHS and regulatory affairs of the Whirlpool Latin America, Vanderlei Niehues.
The Executive remembers that the work for sustainable management of company resources in the country began 12 years ago, with the creation of a model of integrated management, now called sustainability. "It's been a while since we work with it, but five years ago felt the need to change the strategy to emphasize certain areas", details.
Currently, Whirlpool's sustainability management is divided into six different pillars: water, energy, minimizing the generation of waste, climate change, products and social development. With the water crisis, says Niehues, water is gaining greater prominence.
Investment
According to the Executive, last year, the Brazilian unit of Whirlpool has committed more than $ 20 million the sustainability actions. Investments were made in awareness actions and projects to reuse and water harvesting.
"We still don't have [investment] targets for 2015, as it is a rather atypical year", says the Executive. But the goals of economy, guarantees it, were kept unchanged.
Second Niehues, every year for the next three years goals are set and the monitoring of actions implemented is done by committees in different spheres. "We present the results for sustainability, governance committees, of Latin America and also the global Committee", he explains.
At these meetings, managers of different Whirlpool units have access to projects executed in different parts of the world, generating an exchange of experiences.
Remember Brazil Niehues is more advanced than other American multinational units and therefore end up influencing the creation of sustainable practices in other factories.
In the country, the Whirlpool can capture 10% of sustainable water use in factories, especially the unit located in Rio Claro, São Paulo State, which won a wastewater treatment plant in 2012.
"This factory we used a significant volume of water that was picked up from the River, artesian wells and from the supply network of the city. But with the reuse and save nearly 12 million liters of water in 2014, "he.
The treated water in the plant effluent station of Rio Claro is used for supply of laundry Technology Center (CTL) of the Whirlpool. In the Center, are tested the dishwasher and washing machines produced by the company.
In Joinville, Santa Catarina, Whirlpool also has a wastewater treatment plant that, last year, was responsible for the reuse of 46 million litres of water. The capture of rainwater with tanks in the factory is also highlighted by the company, with 11 million litres captured in 2014.
In Manaus, the capture of rainwater is smaller, with just over 1 million liters, but the action has allowed reducing the amount of water removed from the groundwater. Still, even today, 99.79% of the water used in the plant comes from wells and sheets and 0.21% of rainwater.
"Along with these actions, employee awareness campaigns have great profit sharing," says he. According to the Executive, the company intensified the management tools the use of water with the creation of an indicator, on consumption per employee, accompanied from 2012.
With the reduction, the monthly water consumption per employee fell from 3.9 cubic meters in 2009, 0.97 cubic meters in 2014. "This year, our goal is to reduce by 10% this indicator", reveals.
Niehues points out that the company went so far as to change the menu of the restaurant, replacing products for foods that require a smaller amount of water in the preparation. The measure reduced in 25% water consumption in the restaurant.
Final consumer
"In addition to concerns about sustainability in the factories, we have eco-efficient products, energy efficiency class and less water use, in the case of the washers," he recalls. He claims that, after investing in research and development of more cost-effective products, the company's challenge is to change the perception of consumers. "We need to demystify the impression that clothes washers and dishes spend more water," he says. But he considers that, for the economy to be effective, the consumer must follow the guidelines of the manufacturer.