The 2021 sustainability report just published by Miele documents the progress and successes achieved during the 2019/2020 reporting period. Miele subscribes to the central objective of the Paris agreement. For example, the company has set itself the goal of reducing CO2 emissions from the usage phase of the domestic appliances and commercial machines it sells by a further 15% by 2030 – compared with sales from 2019 (in accordance with Scope 3.11 of balancing according to the international standards of the Greenhouse Gas Protocol). Back in the summer, Miele announced CO2 neutrality at all of its locations in 2021 (Scopes 1 and 2 according to the Greenhouse Gas Protocol). This was achieved through reductions in consumption, the use of green electricity and the purchase of high-value CO2 compensation certificates. The next goal Miele has set its sights on is to reduce CO2 emissions at its sites by 50% by 2030 compared with 2019 levels – without any offsetting with compensation projects. Another important element of the report is the product longevity. Miele tests the largest proportion of its domestic appliances to last 20 years. As described in the report, Miele products must evidence their reliability in exacting endurance and strain tests before they progress to series production. Today, a washing machine, for instance, must run without interruption for more than 10,000 hours, clocking up around 5,000 programme cycles in the process – based on the real-life use. A dishwasher is even subjected to 5,600 cycles. Commercial machines must meet even more stringent requirements. In consideration of the extended period of use, the energy efficiency of the machines plays a very central role: for example in the case of washing machines, the bulk of models has been given a new A rating for energy efficiency.
