LOUISVILLE, Ky.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--GE Appliances (GEA), a Haier company, today marked Earth Day by releasing its 2021 Corporate Citizenship Report, highlighting the latest progress and five bold new goals that will power the company's future work across its five core pillars: Community Engagement, Inclusion & Diversity, Operations Sustainability, Product Sustainability, and Compliance & Ethics.
Inspired by people and powered by innovation, GE Appliances is committed to building the world's best appliances and strengthening communities. The GEA Way Forward goals, developed with employees, customers and appliance owners, reflect the company's top priorities and are driving GE Appliances' Citizenship efforts.
The GEA Way Forward Goals
- Create 10,000 U.S. jobs by 2027.
- Reach 40% women and 40% people of color by 2025.
- Use 15% less energy to make each product at all U.S. plants by 2026.*
- Transition 100% of products produced in North America to lower global warming potential refrigerants and foams by 2025.
- Spend $1 billion cumulatively with diverse suppliers by 2030.
“This work is central to who we are as a business and what we want to accomplish in the future,” said Kevin Nolan, president and CEO of GE Appliances. “Now more than ever, our customers and owners want to know they are doing business with a company that’s not just focused on products, but people and the planet as well. I am fortunate to lead a company you can trust that is committed to this work.”
In 2021, GE Appliances formally joined the UN Global Compact. In addition to highlighting the company’s work in the five pillars of GEA Citizenship, the report also contains a Global Reporting Initiative index and outlines what the business is doing connected with the UN Sustainable Development Goals.
The 2021 GEA Corporate Citizenship Report is available online here. Highlights in each of the pillar areas of the report include:
Community Engagement: GEA's volunteer efforts and investments with community partners are connecting people with the resources they need to be successful, shaping the future workforce, and helping strengthen equity, education, and workforce development in local communities.
- Launched “The GEA Blue Wave,” a year-long commitment of service to invest $1 million in more than 25 nonprofits committed to equity and volunteer 15,000 hours in the community.
- Invested $2.5 million in education initiatives and nonprofit organizations committed to equity and education.
- Employees donated more than $2 million to community nonprofits.
- Created 88,000 jobs from 2016-2021 in the United States as a result of continued growth and expansion of the business.
Inclusion & Diversity: From new employees hired to partner suppliers, GEA is building a more inclusive and diverse company that reflects its owners and the communities where it does business.
- Participated in the CEO Day of Understanding as part of the company’s commitment to the CEO Action for Diversity and Inclusion.
- Scored 100% for the fifth year in a row on the Human Rights Campaign’s Corporate Equality Index.
- Reached 31% female representation and 23% people of color representation as the business works toward its 40%-40% goal by 2025.
- Named Best Place to Work for Multicultural Woman.
Operations Sustainability: From sourcing to manufacturing and distribution, GEA is focused on the health and safety of its employees and reducing its environmental footprint throughout a state-of-the-art supply chain.
- Achieved 85% landfill diversion across all U.S. manufacturing sites.
- Recycled more than 134 million pounds of material.
- Piloted a new, first of its kind in the U.S., electronic autonomous freight vehicle.
- Ranked top 20 in the Healthiest 100 Workplaces in America for the fourth year in a row.
Product Sustainability: GEA is designing innovative products with consumers and the planet in mind.
- Offered a portfolio of more than 550 Energy Star® certified appliances.
- Introduced the most energy-efficient air conditioning unit (AHTR10AC) in the industry, as well as the most energy-efficient 12,000 BTU window air conditioner.
- Transitioned all North American produced refrigerators from R-134a to R600a refrigerant, a reduction of 460,000 CO2 equivalent metric tons annually.
- First company to offer over-the-air updates for connected appliances to upgrade features over the product’s life.
Compliance & Ethics: GEA is promoting a culture of compliance and ethics across the entire business and is committed to being recognized by customers, owners, and other stakeholders as one of the most ethical companies that manages all business relationships with integrity.
- Conducted 171 audits of suppliers for compliance with GEA policies and procedures regarding environmental and labor practices.
- 3,583 employees completed certified participation in business Risk Review.
- 1,904 employees completed fair competition training.
- 2,817 employees completed anti-bribery and anti-corruption training.
The baseline reporting period for most of the company targets outlined in the report is the calendar year 2021.
About GE Appliances
At GE Appliances, a Haier company, we come together to make "good things, for life." We're creators, thinkers and makers who believe that anything is possible and that there’s always a better way. We’re a company powered by our people, made stronger through our diversity — allowing us to grow closer than ever before to our owners, anticipate their needs and enhance their lives. ™In 2021, we were certified as a US Great Place to Work™, named one of the Best Companies for Multicultural Women by Seramount (formerly Working Mother Media), Achievers Top 50 Most Engaged Workplaces, received a perfect score for the fifth year in a row on the Human Rights Campaign’s Corporate Equality Index, and named one of the top 100 Internship Programs by Way Up.
Since 1907, we’ve built innovative, quality products that are trusted in half of all U.S. homes. We sell appliances under the Monogram®, Café™, GE Profile™, GE®, Haier and Hotpoint brands. Our products include refrigerators, freezers, cooking products, dishwashers, washers, dryers, wine & beverage centers, air conditioners, small appliances, water filtration systems and water heaters.
To learn more about our company, our brands, our Corporate Citizenship efforts, our economic impact, and working for GE Appliances visit www.geappliancesco.com.
*From 2020 baseline
