Procter & Gamble unveils sustainability vision

RP news wires

The Procter & Gamble Company on September 27 accelerated its commitment to sustainability by unveiling a long-term environmental sustainability vision. As part of P&G's strategy to grow responsibly, the company will work toward a long-term environmental sustainability vision that includes:

  • Powering its plants with 100 percent renewable energy
  • Using 100 percent renewable or recycled materials for all products and packaging
  • Having zero consumer and manufacturing waste go to landfills
  • Designing products that delight consumers while maximizing the conservation of resources

The new vision provides P&G with a long-term framework to guide all sustainability decisions and goal-setting within the organization.

"Accelerating P&G's commitment to environmental sustainability is a critical component of the Company's ongoing Purpose inspired growth strategy to improve more consumers' lives in more parts of the world more completely," said Bob McDonald, P&G chairman of the board, president and chief executive officer. "We're announcing this vision and these goals because we believe in the power of P&G's purpose – and our responsibility as a company to be a force for good in the world."

To enable the company to track progress against its long-term sustainability vision, P&G will implement a series of 10-year sustainability goals. As this vision will take decades to achieve, these near-term goals will be used to focus company efforts, incrementally improve the organization's environmental performance, and hold P&G accountable against its stated, long-term sustainability vision. The first set of 10-year sustainability goals will be delivered by 2020.  These sustainability goals are in addition to the company's existing 2012 goals. As with its current practice, P&G will report progress against these goals on an annual basis.

P&G's 2020 sustainability goals include:

 

Category

2020 Goals

 

Products

   

Replace petroleum-based materials with sustainably sourced renewable materials

25%*

 

Cold Water Washing

70% of total washing machine loads

 

Packaging Reduction

20% (per consumer use)*

 

Consumer Solid Waste

Pilot studies in both developed and developing markets to understand how to eliminate landfilled/dumped consumer solid waste

 

Operations

   

Renewable Energy Powering our Plants

30%

 

Manufacturing waste

<0.5% (disposed)

 

Truck Transportation Reduction

20% (km/unit of volume)*

 

*Vs. 2010 baseline

 
   

 "P&G's commitment to sustainability can have a major influence on transforming the marketplace and we are pleased to have worked with them on their new sustainability vision," said Carter Roberts, chief executive officer and president, World Wildlife Fund U.S.  "By engaging with major companies like P&G, we can have broad and lasting impact on our conservation objectives. We look forward to continuing our work with P&G to achieve goals around renewable materials, packaging, forestry, energy and water, and to support WWF's on-the-ground conservation projects."

"We recognize our impact as a global company and accept our responsibility for continual improvement. By implementing this new vision, P&G is trying to help solve some of the key sustainability challenges the business community will face over the coming decades," said P&G vice president for global sustainability Len Sauers. "I am convinced that innovation can uncover solutions to the major sustainability issues facing us -- challenges like waste, emissions and water use. Innovation and external partnerships are key components of a successful sustainability program. No one company can do it alone. It is important for companies to collaborate with external partners to tackle important topics that impact both our world and our businesses."

For more information, visit: pg.com/sustainability.

About Procter & Gamble
Four billion times a day, P&G brands touch the lives of people around the world.  The company has one of the strongest portfolios of trusted, quality, leadership brands, including Pampers, Tide, Ariel, Always, Whisper, Pantene, Mach3, Bounty, Dawn, Gain, Pringles, Charmin, Downy, Lenor, Iams, Crest, Oral-B, Duracell, Olay®, Head & Shoulders, Wella, Gillette, Braun and Fusion. The P&G community includes approximately 127,000 employees working in about 80 countries worldwide.

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