For BSH, sustainability plays a decisive role at all stages of our services and our products’ lifecycle. We support climate protection, save precious resources and offer consumers sustainable solutions. Our home appliances offer a variety of ways to make everyday life simple and sustainable. By saving water, energy, and detergent, or by preventing food waste, consumers can also save money and live sustainably at home.
We aim to reduce our environmental footprint in all areas of our value stream. That includes both improving the material mix of our products and reducing emissions and energy consumption. Whether it’s sourcing or manufacturing, product use or returns, refurbishment, recycling, or the reuse of our appliances – we review every aspect of our business in terms of its environmental compatibility and potential for improvement on our path to reaching new climate goals.
Since 2020, we have been developing and manufacturing in a CO₂-neutral manner at all BSH sites worldwide.
We have identified four levers to achieve this. The two biggest levers for CO₂-neutral manufacturing are the efficient use of energy and the use of green electricity. The third and most challenging lever is the substitution of processes that burn fossil fuels.
As a last resort, we offset unavoidable CO₂ emissions with carbon credits. In 2023, the Bosch Group, which BSH is part of, reduced its compensation share to 0.6 million metric tons of CO₂. This is 19 percent less compared to year 2022.
In addition to our numerous energy efficiency measures, we are constantly improving the quality of CO₂-neutral manufacturing by increasing the proportion of self-generated energy and thus reducing the necessary compensation certificates.
Four levers allowed us to achieve carbon neutrality back in 2020. But this isn’t where our leverage ends. We are continuously accelerating these efforts in order to reach new ambitious targets by 2030.
We are improving the energy efficiency of our plants, systems, and buildings. By 2030, BSH aims to save 300 gigawatt hours of energy. This equals the annual energy consumption of ≈ 90,000 family households.
We have made our operations carbon-neutral – but our work does not end there. We are also looking at all other indirect emissions that occur in our value chain. These so-called Scope 3 emissions result from activities such as:
And we have set ourselves ambitious targets for the year 2030:
At BSH, we inspire and support consumers to live healthier and more sustainable lives.
Our home appliances help in many ways to make everyday life simple and sustainable. By saving water, energy and detergent or by preventing food waste, consumers can at the same time save money and act sustainably at home. In addition, the proportion of recycled materials in our products is increasing and the design is becoming more modular. With some appliances, you can already see and feel this today.
In developing the Bosch Green Collection, we placed particular emphasis on the use of more sustainable materials in order to contribute to climate protection.
For the Bosch Green Collection fridge-freezers CO₂-reduced steel and bio-based plastic are used in part during production, reducing the CO₂ footprint by 50 percent compared to standard models[1]. All casing panels, such as door panels, side and back walls, are made of CO₂-reduced steel. Additionally, the appliances have the best energy efficiency class A.
The second part of the Bosch Green Collection is dishwashers. All dishwashers in the Bosch Green Collection have the best energy efficiency class A. They are manufactured in Germany and CO₂-reduced stainless steel is used in part during production[2], which has a CO₂ footprint more than 40 percent smaller than conventional stainless steel[3].
A great example for durability and performance is the Bosch Series 4 vacuum cleaner. It comes with a 10 years motor guarantee, washable filters for longer usage, and a long availability of spare parts. What makes the Series 4 even more sustainable is the way it has been designed and manufactured. The black variant is made from 38% recycled plastics[4], the other colors are made from 30% recycled plastics*. Moreover, the packaging consists of 95% recycled paper. The packaging material inside is recyclable and compostable.
[1] Compared to comparable Bosch fridge-freezer with conventional production material (KGN39VXAT). Calculation of carbon footprint of production material (without packaging) based on ISO 14067. In production, the CO₂reduced material is partly mixed with conventional material, but is allocated to the Bosch Green Collection fridge-freezers by calculation through mass balancing (according to ISO 22095). Verified and confirmed by TÜV Rheinland.
[2] In production, the CO₂ reduced material is partly mixed with conventional material, but is allocated to the Bosch Green Collection dishwashers by calculation through mass balancing (according to ISO 22095). Verified and confirmed by TÜV Rheinland.
[3] CO₂-reduced stainless steel consists of 95% high-quality recycled material. The comparison in the CO₂ footprint refers to conventional stainless steel used in the production of our dishwashers.
[4] Evaluation done according to ISO 14021.
By 2030, we want to reduce indirect greenhouse gas emissions along our value chain (Scope 3) by 15 percent. Indirect emissions result from the electricity consumption of our products during use, or from the materials we use for production, for example. In addition to steadily decreasing energy consumption of our home appliances, the mass balance approach is an important lever for achieving our emissions reduction target.
The mass balance approach attributes more climate-friendly material to specific products, even if this material is mixed with conventional raw materials during production. This is an important intermediate step for us in making some products more sustainable today, before sustainably produced materials are widely available.
We use the mass balance approach for CO₂-reduced appliances in the Bosch Green Collection. Our Bosch Green Collection fridge-freezers, for example, have a 50 percent[1] smaller carbon footprint than comparable conventional products. These savings are achieved in part by using bio-circular raw materials in production. Biocircular raw materials are recycled- or waste-materials such as used cooking fat. Special recycling processes can be used to produce the basic building blocks of plastics from these materials. This reduces the use of raw fossil materials and avoids competing with food and feed production. In steel and aluminum production, biogas and renewable energies are increasingly being used to reduce CO₂ emissions. This makes it possible, for the refrigerators in the Bosch Green Collection, to reduce CO₂ emissions from the metals we use by up to 70 percent[2] and from the plastics we process by between 60 to 130 percent[3]. In the Bosch Green Collection dishwashers, we use a proportion of stainless steel for the inner door, the shell and the bottom, that has a carbon footprint more than 40 percent lower than conventional stainless steel[4].
CO₂-reduced materials are not yet produced on a large scale, but are mixed with conventional materials by the manufacturers during production. This allows our suppliers to gradually convert their production from conventional to sustainably produced materials. This is where the mass balance approach comes in: It documents and certifies the more sustainable production of these materials and specifically assigns the positive contribution to CO₂ reduction to the products of the Bosch Green Collection. The CO₂-reduced material is no different in quality from conventional material. Consumers who buy a household appliance from the Bosch Green Collection are promoting the use of more sustainable materials.
The mass balance approach has been used successfully in the electricity market for years, as it ensures that the amount of green electricity generated corresponds to the amount of green electricity sold. We believe it is a useful interim step in the transition from fossil fuels to renewable energies and raw materials in traditional value chains.
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[1] Compared to comparable Bosch fridge-freezer with conventional production material (KGN39VXAT). Calculation of carbon footprint of production material (without packaging) based on ISO 14067. In production, the CO₂ reduced material is partly mixed with conventional material, but is allocated to the Bosch Green Collection fridge-freezers by calculation through mass balancing (according to ISO 22095). Verified and confirmed by TÜV Rheinland.
[2] CO₂ reduction in steel by using a higher proportion of scrap and renewable energies in steel production (green electricity, biogas).
[3] CO₂ reduction in plastics by offsetting stored CO₂ emissions from bio-based raw materials (e.g. vegetable fats). Depending on the type of plastic, 50-100% of the basic building blocks (polymers) can be produced from bio-based raw materials. If the bio-content is high, more CO₂ is stored in the plant-based raw material than is produced during production, so that a CO₂ reduction of more than 100% is possible.
[4] Mass balancing according to ISO 22095.
Thanks to new business models such as product leasing and sharing, we can put an end to wasteful mentalities and ensure that as many appliances and as much material as possible is reused or recycled. An added bonus is that these new business models give a wider range of consumers easier access to highly efficient products and services.
Whenever possible, our customer service offers remote diagnostics, telephone consultations and self-help tips to avoid unnecessary visits and expenses. If a technician visit at home is required, we optimize our scheduling and routing to reduce carbon emissions. In all of our countries of operation, we have expertly trained employees and service partners, who advise our consumers and provide competent support, even in more rural regions. We have an initial completion rate for repairs of over 81%. This means that 81% of the time, we only visit our consumers once to solve a problem.
We support our roughly 12,000 BSH technicians and service partners with trainings beyond the repair knowledge. Flexible, digital sessions on sustainability offer trainings on how consumers can be expertly guided to extend their appliance’s lifespan with easy-to-follow tricks and tips on the right cleaning and care routine. Seven logistical centers are located near BSH production sites in order to keep delivery routes short. They store more than 350,000 spare parts for large appliances for usually more than 15 years following production. This refers to all functionally relevant and storable parts for appliances produced after 1 January 2023.
We’re certifiably dedicated to sustainability at BSH. Because every single one of BSH’s 39 factories is ISO 14001 certified (International Organisation for Standardization). Beyond that, we have also secured certifications in compliance with the ISO 50001 standard for energy management for all of our production sites in the EU, in Türkiye and in China.
Each production facility and team have the support of a dedicated environmental protection officer and occupational health and safety expert, who report to the Environmental Protection and Health and Safety department at group headquarters. In turn, the department draws up guidelines and conducts internal audits to monitor compliance and keep everyone safe.
Even when we’re still in the design phase of a product, we make sure to avoid controversial substances and instead rely heavily on the use of environmentally friendly materials. All of the home appliances manufactured by BSH are made with blowing agents, insulating foams, and refrigerants that are halogenated gas-free. Instead, we use eco-friendly gases that have been tested in labs for years, such as hydrocarbons cyclopentane, isobutane, and propane.
Information on critical substances
according to Art. 33.1 of the REACH Regulation (EC) No 1907/2006
The aim of BSH's environmental policy has always been to eliminate especially critical substances in the supply chain as quickly as possible as a precautionary measure. Therefore we do our own research and work closely and regularly with suppliers. These are obligated under Article 33.1 of the REACH Regulation to provide information concerning substances of very high concern in their products, if those substances are listed in the candidate list and are contained in a concentration of more than 0.1% by weight in products or components.
Taking into account the SVHC as listed in the current version of the "Candidate List" and based on the currently available information collected in our supply chain; please see below the information as required in Article 33.1 of REACH.
• Lead, CAS No. 7439-92-1, may be contained in any home appliance in steel, in aluminium and copper alloys, in high melting temperature type solders as well as in printing inks for the application of enamels on glasses.
• Lead monoxide, CAS No. 1317-36-8, in electronic components e.g. control panels, sensors.
• Lead titanium zirconium oxide, CAS No. 12626-81-2, in electronic components e.g. control panels, power units.
• Lead bis (tetrafluoroborate), CAS No. 13814-96-5, in compressors.
• Lead titanium trioxide, CAS No. 12060-00-3, in compressors.
• Cadmium and its oxide, CAS No. 7440-43-9, CAS No. 1306-19-0, in switches, hinges, drives and pumps.
• Boric acid, CAS No. 10043-35-3, in motors, electronic components, energy regulators, thermostats.
• Boric acid-crude naturel, CAS No. 11113-50-1, in thermostats.
• Bisphenol A (4,4'-isopropylidenediphenol), CAS No. 80-05-7, in motors, electronic components, energy regulators, thermostats.
• Decamethylcyclopentasiloxane (D5) CAS No. 541-02-6, Dodecamethylcyclohexasiloxane (D6) CAS No. 540-97-6, Octamethylcyclotetrasiloxane (D4) CAS No. 556-67-2, in heating elements, sealing, fan & air dampers and gas taps.
• Dicyclohexyl-phthalate (DCHP), CAS No. 84-61-7, in electronic components.
• 2-(2H-benzotriazol-2-yl)-4,6-ditertpentylphenol (UV-328), CAS No. 25973-55-1, in displays.
• 2-methyl-1-(4-methylthiophenyl)-2-morpholinopropan-1-one, CAS No. 71868-10-5, in fans and air dampers.
• Diboron trioxide, CAS No. 1303-86-2, in electronic components, thermostats.
• 1,2-dimethoxyethane (EGDME), CAS No. 110-71-4, in sensors.
• Melamine, CAS No. 108-78-1, in pipe sockets, filter frames.
• 2,2',6,6'-tetrabromo-4,4'-isopropylidenediphenol, CAS No. 79-94-7, in end cap foliations.
• 4,4'-sulphonyldiphenol, CAS No. 80-09-1, in labels.
When appliances are used as intended and properly disposed of, their inherent substances do not pose a risk to health or the environment.
(Information for consumers under REACH Regulation (EC) No. 1907/2006; Munich, Dec. 2023; link to candidate list: https://echa.europa.eu/candidate-list-table)
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