Roberta Bernasconi: Power of Asking Right Questions

Roberta Bernasconi

Senior Manager Sustainability EMEA, Whirlpool

Q.

What motivated you to make the move from materials development to a role in sustainability?

I studied industrial chemistry and spent 18 years working in the materials development sector. Having a solid background in scientific facts, I was always critical of any role that lacked this approach. Then six years ago, I had a proposal to move into a sustainability role. I must admit I wasn't 100% sure it was the move for me, but I started to reflect and decided it was worth a try. My motivation was my technical background which was driven by numbers and facts to evidence decisions being made. Even today, it is crucial to me to be able to measure and demonstrate environmental impacts. There is often a lot of talk about sustainability and environmental impacts, but I think if we are to do something positive, we need to be able to benchmark progress against hard evidence. This is my great sense of purpose.

Q.

Can leadership and company culture move the sustainability needle forward and, if so, how?

First, leadership commitment is necessary. You can bring whatever evidence you have to the table or try to impact change from the shop floor up. This might result in some short-term wins, but, if initiatives aren't aligned with leadership priorities, very little will change in the long term. So leadership commitment is fundamental. However, I also think that leadership underestimates its importance to the whole process. It's not enough to declare a commitment; it's only by leadership constantly challenging initiatives and asking questions that we can trigger a different way of thinking. So the power of asking the right questions from a leadership perspective is fundamental and critical in starting the cultural change required to move the sustainability needle forward.

"Possibly the biggest challenge is communicating the need for change so that everyone understands the consequences of not taking action and the benefits change can bring."

– Roberta Bernasconi, Senior Manager Sustainability EMEA, Whirlpool

Q.

How does your own technical background impact sustainability change, and where do you see the gaps?

By definition, sustainability touches every function within an organisation, not just manufacturing but also departments such as engineering, marketing, human resources and finance. So, on the one hand, it's a role where there is always something interesting happening. On the other, making sure that every department is pulling in the right direction is a big challenge. Possibly the biggest challenge is communicating the need for change so that everyone understands the consequences of not taking action and the benefits change can bring. Due to my technical background, this is where my strength lies. I always try to bring forward fact-based information that gives accurate data on what we are trying to achieve with our sustainability programme. This presents further challenges as sustainability data is more mature in some sectors than others. The food sector, for example, is data-rich, but there are still gaps in the consumer electronics and appliances sector. So far, we have had a considerable data focus on energy consumption, which is helpful, but we also need to capture additional sustainability metrics to progress.

"The desire to constantly improve is here, but we need to be careful that innovation does not become the dominating force. There needs to be a clear link between how technological innovation improves sustainability."

– Roberta Bernasconi, Senior Manager Sustainability EMEA, Whirlpool

Q.

Is innovation the key to further sustainability progress, and where does the circular economy fit into the equation?

I think innovation plays an important role, particularly if we look at the improvement in lower energy consumption appliances such as washing machines and refrigerators compared to ten years ago. So innovation has and will continue to play a role in making appliances more sustainable, including the increased use of heat pumps and induction technology. So the desire to constantly improve is here, but we need to be careful that innovation does not become the dominating force. There needs to be a clear link between how technological innovation improves sustainability. In terms of developing a more circular economy, progress relies on new technology and innovation. One example is how to recycle more materials more efficiently. In Europe, many recycling technologies are still reliant on material separation approach that is outdated. So there needs to be more investment in state-of-the-art technology to improve how we recycle materials to boost our transition to a more circular economy.

"I don't think sustainability can be achieved by the market or government policies alone; they have to be aligned to show the connection with long-term business performance."

– Roberta Bernasconi, Senior Manager Sustainability EMEA, Whirlpool

Q.

Are more government support and better regulations the answer to improving a sustainable business model?

When I began my journey in sustainability, I thought that market-driven progress was a better option than policy-driven actions. However, I no longer think it is black and white, and both options have pros and cons. For companies, there is a need to focus on keeping business performance on track in the short term, which sometimes sits at odds with long-term sustainability ambitions. This is where government policies can help keep the focus on sustainability by requiring companies to follow regulations. So I don't think sustainability can be achieved by the market or government policies alone; they have to be aligned to show the connection with long-term business performance. It means looking at products across the lifecycle, from improving design and manufacturing to end-of-life disposal or looking, for example, at whether plant sites are located on flood plains. So we need to consider sustainability from every angle and, importantly, with a long-term view.

Q.

Is there any particular approach to building a sustainability programme you'd favour over others?

I don't think any one approach is more important than others. For me, apart from leadership engagement and commitment as a vital starting point, being connected with different functions and checking that communication resonates with the recipient is essential. Think carefully about how the story you are telling sounds to that person or department; is the language appropriate, and what is the aim? There is no quick route to communicating sustainability; it needs to be customised to be effective. This is where numbers and making the business case can impact as numbers are understood the same way by everyone. So backing up the impact of sustainability actions with clear evidence is critical to success.