BSH Home Appliances is the largest manufacturer of home appliances in Europe and one of  the leading companies in the sector worldwide. Acting sustainably has always been part of  BSH’s DNA.  

Dr. Carla Kriwet, CEO at BSH Home Appliances says: “Our purpose is to put a big smile on  the face of our consumers. We want to improve quality of life at home.” However, BSH’s  understanding of “home” is bigger than the consumers’ accommodations: It equally  incorporates society and the planet. 

Kriwet explains: “Humanity is facing many interrelated problems, and they cannot all be solved  by one company. We all have to join forces and work together.” This applies to all partners:  from sourcing to recycling, but also in the social field. 

BSH has a holistic sustainability strategy at the center of its actions. It is based on three pillars:  environmental protection, social responsibility and economic success. Kriwet says: “They  correspond to the 17 Sustainable Development Goals of the United Nations and we take concrete actions to support them.” 

Volker Korten, Director Environmental Protection, Resources and Occupational Safety at BSH,  says that the company’s photovoltaic power supply is just one important lever to reduce emissions: 

“The minimization of the carbon footprint is key for BSH. It’s our contribution to fight climate  change. The photovoltaic system on the roof of our dishwasher factory in Dillingen, Germany is one of the largest applications in our European production network. The stored power is 1  million kWh. This is one step towards a carbon free factory.” 

BlueMovement addresses the reuse of materials. It is a subscription-based service that  supplies, maintains and replaces appliances in consumers’ homes. Roxanne Post, Operations  Lead at BlueMovement explains: 

“BlueMovement is a circular business model. We thus fulfill the three principles of the circular  economy. First – preventing waste and pollution; second – keeping products and materials in  use; and third – regenerating our ecosystems. We get equipment back and reuse and  repurpose its valuable materials.” 

Another part of BSH’s sustainability strategy is taking social responsibility – for instance by  teaming-up with impactful partners. Thus, BSH supports the UN World Food Programme  Innovation Accelerator with its expertise in food processing and healthy eating. 

Innovations can also make a difference. The Bosch Modern Chulha aimed to tackle India’s 4  million deaths per year due to toxic smoke poisoning, largely as a result of cooking on open  fireplaces. Johannes Mueller, Head of Corporate Communications at BSH says:

“We came up with a little device that is thermodynamically quite sophisticated: it emits 40  percent less toxic smoke and consumes 50 percent less wood. We are now trying to find ways  to scale it to other regions like Africa.” 

Such efforts have produced enviable results: BSH reached carbon-neutral operations at the  end of 2020. They will further reduce emissions by 15 percent with regard to the materials and  the usage of sold products by 2030. Moreover, BSH implemented a recyclability quota of 95  percent and the use of more than 50 percent of recycled materials by 2030.  

Carla Kriwet says: 

“It is time to pay back. It is not enough to just live a more sustainable life – companies need to  actively move towards more sustainable behavior.”