Peterborough’s white goods maker Whirlpool sets tough eco goal

White goods maker Whirlpool in Morley Way, where it employs more than 1,000 staff, says the city site is leading the way for the global company which has vowed to reach zero emissions in its plants and operations by 2030 – just nine years away.

It is a huge challenge for the kitchen and laundry appliance company which has also committed to a 20 per cent reduction in emissions linked to the use of its products by 2030.

Ian Moverley, public affairs director at Whirlpool UK Appliances, said: “This is an issue we have been working on for some time at Peterborough and means we’re ahead of target. The real challenge here is how can we do it quicker.”

The city factory, offices and call centre has already notched up a number of successes as it heads towards the company’s goal.

For the last three years the site has sent zero waste to landfill tips and last year recycled its total waste of 650 tonnes.

It has removed 160,000 single use plastic coffee cups and 6,000 plastic water bottles along with many thousands of plastic items of cutlery. Packaging from new products and parts from old appliances are recycled and the site is 100 per cent powered by renewable electricity, while installing enough charging points for its staff and fleet of 1,300 vehicles is its biggest challenge.

Mr Moverley said: “There’s been a shift in attitudes to sustainability among colleagues and customers. Achieving these goals is also a good way to attract new talent.”

“We are not driven by Government’s green agenda because we have made a lot changes already. But we could see it was coming and it has proved we were right to make a start.