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Corporate Responsibility
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Continued Learning

Our teams are committed to continued learning through our own research, as well as engagement and collaboration with reputable external organizations.

We consistently engage and connect with peers and learn from professional organizations like Trellis, Sustainable Brands and universities, through conferences, joint research initiatives and frequent virtual meetings. These relationships and resources allow us to explore new technology, share best practices and pilot new sustainable business models as we continue our sustainability journey.

As part of our Net Zero Homes research program and other initiatives, we regularly engage with a network of universities to connect with world-class expertise and knowledge and apply for grant funding where possible.

  • Purdue Center for High Performance Buildings (CHPB): We are an industry consortium member at the CHPB, which brings HVAC, controls, utility and electronics companies together for shared, pre-competitive research on building science. The topics comprise rigorous compressor and heat transfer development, indoor environmental quality, building controls, occupant perception and health and performance testbeds, among others. The purpose is to deliver the next generation of efficient and high-performance solutions that bolster sustainability and occupant health. Home appliances are a key part of this vision.
  • Retrofitted Energy, Water and Waste (ReNEWW) House: In collaboration with Purdue University since 2013, we’ve built, retrofitted and operated the ReNEWW House, a 1920s home on the campus of Purdue University. We originally set out to show that retrofitted homes were key to a sustainable future and demonstrated the benefits that could be accomplished with the ReNEWW House. Now, the home serves as a fully instrumented, live-in testbed. We design and evaluate new home products and systems with the goal of promoting energy and water efficiency and expanding appliance performance to include the whole-home ecosystem. In collaboration with our neighbors, the Purdue DC House, we are exploring next-generation equipment controls and thermal microgrids to deliver innovative options for home efficiency. The ReNEWW house is supported by live-in Whirlpool employees who are pursuing technical master’s degrees at Purdue. This environment promotes continued investment and development in our employees while instilling a sense of responsibility for resource efficiency.
  • Michigan Tech Enterprise Team: We work with the enterprise teams at Michigan Tech University to explore the user-enabled side of sustainable product design. Via human interface research, we are developing the next generation of user interfaces and interactions that will allow consumers to get the most out of our products and realize their aspirations for saving energy, water and money.
  • We worked with Michigan State University’s School of Packaging to receive a National Science Foundation Grant Opportunities for Academic Liaison with Industry grant to explore large appliance sustainable packaging solutions.

Our team compares sustainability metrics with trade customers to share best practices for collecting sustainability metrics and evaluating impact of conducted programs. Targeted data comparisons and co-development will enhance our reporting in the future.

The Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 provides a safe harbor for forward-looking statements made by us or on our behalf. Certain statements contained in this and other written and oral statements made from time to time by us or on our behalf do not relate strictly to historical or current facts and may contain forward-looking statements that reflect our current views with respect to future events and financial performance. As such, they are considered “forwardlooking statements” that provide current expectations or forecasts of future events. Such statements can be identified by the use of terminology such as “may,” “could,” “will,” “should,” “possible,” “plan,” “predict,” “forecast,” “potential,” “anticipate,” “estimate,” “expect,” “project,” “intend,” “commit,” “believe,” “may impact,” “on track,” “guarantee,” “seek,” “would,” “committed,” “undertake,” “target” and the negative of these words and words and terms of similar substance. Our forwardlooking statements generally relate to our strategic and transactional objectives, operational planning and implementation, financial projections, goals, and assumptions, external and macroeconomic conditions, and legal, regulatory and sustainability matters. These forward-looking statements should be considered with the understanding that such statements involve a variety of risks and uncertainties, known and unknown, and may be affected by inaccurate assumptions. Consequently, no forward-looking statement can be guaranteed, and actual results may vary materially.

This document contains forward-looking statements about Whirlpool Corporation and its consolidated subsidiaries (“Whirlpool”) that speak only as of this date. Whirlpool disclaims any obligation to update these statements. Forward-looking statements in this document may include, but are not limited to, statements regarding future financial results, environmental, social, and governance efforts, longterm sustainability and Net Zero goals, including emissions reduction targets, risk management and resilience, product innovation, durability and resource efficiency, product safety and quality, second life and end-of-life initiatives, responsible sourcing and supply chain management, sustainable operations and investments in renewable energy, and efforts related to workplace health and safety, employee engagement, and community impact. Many risks, contingencies and uncertainties could cause actual results to differ materially from Whirlpool’s forward-looking statements. Among these factors are: (1) intense competition in the home appliance industry, and the impact of the changing retail environment, including direct-toconsumer sales; (2) Whirlpool’s ability to maintain or increase sales to significant trade customers and builders; (3) Whirlpool’s ability to maintain its reputation and brand image; (4) Whirlpool’s ability to achieve its business objectives and successfully manage its strategic portfolio transformation and outsourced business unit service model; (5) Whirlpool’s ability to understand consumer preferences and successfully develop new products; (6) Whirlpool’s ability to obtain and protect intellectual property rights; (7) acquisition, divestiture, and investment-related risks, including risks associated with our past transactions; (8) the ability of suppliers of critical parts, components and manufacturing equipment to deliver sufficient quantities to Whirlpool in a timely and cost-effective manner; (9) risks related to Whirlpool’s international operations; (10) Whirlpool’s ability to respond to unanticipated social, political and/or economic events, including epidemics/ pandemics; (11) information technology system and cloud failures, data security breaches, data privacy compliance, network disruptions, and cybersecurity attacks; (12) product liability and product recall costs; (13) Whirlpool’s ability to attract, develop and retain executives and other qualified employees; (14) the impact of labor relations; (15) fluctuations in the cost of key materials (including steel, resins, and base metals) and components and the ability of Whirlpool to offset cost increases; (16) Whirlpool’s ability to manage foreign currency fluctuations; (17) impacts from goodwill, intangible asset and/or inventory impairment charges; (18) health care cost trends, regulatory changes and variations between results and estimates that could increase future funding obligations for pension and postretirement benefit plans; (19) impacts from credit rating agency downgrades; (20) litigation, tax, and legal compliance risk and costs; (21) the effects and costs of governmental investigations or related actions by third parties; (22) changes in the legal and regulatory environment including environmental, health and safety regulations, data privacy, taxes and generative AI; (23) the impacts of changes in foreign trade policies, including tariffs; (24) Whirlpool’s ability to respond to the impact of climate change and climate change or other environmental regulation; and (25) the uncertain global economy and changes in economic conditions.

Other Important Notes & Disclaimers

Various of the disclosures in this report are informed by the expectations of various stakeholders and/or third-party frameworks. Such information may not necessarily be material for purposes of our filings under U.S. federal securities laws, even if we use “material” or similar language in discussing such matters. Particularly in the ESG context, there are various approaches to materiality that differ from, and in many cases are more expansive than, the definition under U.S. federal securities laws. Furthermore, much of this information is subject to methodologies and data that continue to evolve. Over time, our approach to such matters has also evolved and is expected to continue evolving, and we cannot guarantee that our approach will align with the expectations or preferences of any particular stakeholder. For example, the processes for measuring and accounting for ESG metrics can involve substantial discretion, include assumptions or other methodological considerations that involve inherent uncertainty and may change due to evolving understanding or perception of certain matters by us or society at large. This can make it difficult to anticipate the ultimate outcomes of certain decisions in advance, as well as complicate the comparison of information presented at different times or under different circumstances or standards. Moreover, while we aim to align various disclosures set forth or referred to in this report with the recommendations of various third-party frameworks, such as the Sustainability Accounting Standards Board and the Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosures, we cannot guarantee strict adherence to these frameworks’ recommendations. Our disclosures, as well as relevant internal controls, also may change due to revisions in framework requirements, availability or quality of information, changes in our business or applicable government policies, or other factors, some of which may be beyond our control.