Today, Procter & Gamble released its 17th annual sustainability report, which details the progress it is making to reduce its environmental footprint and improve social conditions for those in need.
The report reinforces the Company’s commitment to operating sustainably and details progress against its long-term vision of producing products that consumers love while maximizing conservation of resources, powering all its plants with 100 percent renewable energy, using 100 percent renewable or recycled materials for all products and packaging and having zero consumer and manufacturing waste go to landfill.
“Sustainability is a responsibility and a business opportunity. Since 2007, we have realized a cost savings of nearly $2 billion through waste and energy savings and have reduced our environmental impact. It is exciting to see the changes we are making in our operations, the benefits created for the business and the progress we are making against our sustainability goals,” said outgoing VP of Sustainability Len Sauers, who is retiring at the end of the month.
As for what he sees as key to continued progress on the sustainability front, Sauers told Sustainable Brands: “Collaboration will be a key component that future sustainability progress hinges upon; we saw this clearly out of the meetings in Paris last week. Many companies, including P&G, have found tremendous savings and environmental results through conservation, but it will take deeper and more frequent partnerships to find the technologies, processes and policies that can help business grow, while reducing the environmental footprint.”
Case in point: Among P&G’s recent efforts to address climate change are a new goal to reduce absolute greenhouse gas emissions by 30 percent by 2020, for which the company has established two new partnerships - with Constellation Energy and EDF RE - that will increase P&G’s use of renewable energy.
In addition, P&G announced it will deliver 15 billion liters by 2020 working in partnership with humanitarian and emergency partners around the world through its Children’s Safe Drinking Water (CSDW) Program, which the company says to date has delivered more than 8 billion liters of clean water to children and families in need. P&G has also been actively helping those impacted by natural disasters, and this year responded with provision of in-kind product and monetary donations to more than 25 disasters globally.
The report details P&G’s work on:
- Reducing emissions: Since 2010, P&G has reduced greenhouse gas emissions by 4 percent.
- Transportation: P&G met its goal of delivering a 20 percent reduction in truck kilometers per unit of production achieving a nearly 25 percent reduction since 2010. In addition, within North America, P&G has met its goal to convert more than 20 percent of its fleet to natural gas vehicles by 2016. This represents more than 14 million truck miles using cleaner-burning natural gas while delivering several millions in cost savings.
- Wood Pulp: The company met its fiber-sourcing goal to have 100 percent third-party certified virgin fiber in our tissue towel and absorbent hygiene products.
- Water: exceeded water reduction goal for manufacturing by delivering a 21 percent reduction since 2010.
- Waste:
- Zero Manufacturing Waste to Landfill; over the past three years, P&G has increased the number of zero manufacturing waste to landfill sites from 10 percent to nearly 50 percent of its manufacturing sites globally.
- Packaging; P&G continued its efforts on packaging optimization, including moving Pampers from boxes to bags in most parts of Western Europe – which resulted in more than an 80 percent reduction in packaging material weight per diaper, saving more than 6,000 tonnes of packaging material; and P&G Fabric Care committing to making 230 million bottles of flagship brands such as Ariel, Dash, Lenor and Unstopables out of Post-Consumer Recyclate (PCR — aka recycled packaging) beginning in early 2016.
- Social programs: on track to reach its goal to provide 15 billion liters of clean drinking water by 2020, and helped improve the lives of an estimated 50 million people particularly through programs that empower women and girls with its brands.
“At P&G, we have a long history of introducing innovations that improve our environmental footprint and the communities where we live and work,” said Martin Riant, Group President and P&G Executive Sponsor of Sustainability. “This report details the progress we have made in conserving resources, protecting the environment and improving social conditions for those who need it most.”