P&G to expand sustainability efforts

The consumer products firm Procter & Gamble Co. (P&G), based in Cincinnati, has announced plans to expand its sustainability goals while continuing to create value with consumer-preferred brands and products.

The company says that it is using as a template 12 established environmental sustainability goals, which include 100 percent renewable energy use, 100 percent renewable or recycled materials for all products and packaging and zero consumer and manufacturing waste being landfilled.

“We continue to improve the environmental sustainability of our products across all aspects of their life cycle – from manufacturing, packaging and delivery through consumer use,” says Martin Riant, P&G’s executive sponsor of sustainability and group president, global baby and feminine and family care. “We are reducing the environmental footprint of our products for shoppers, our communities and the company, while still delivering the quality and performance people expect from P&G products.”

Since establishing its goals in 2010, P&G notes that it now has 70 zero-waste manufacturing sites; energy consumption, water use, carbon dioxide emissions and truck transportation are all down significantly; and the use of renewable energy and the number of virgin-materials certifications are up substantially. P&G also has expanded its social sustainability work.

The company is looking to build on these environmental steps by adding product packaging and water conservation.

For packaging, the company says it is on track to reduce its packaging by 20 percent per unit of production by 2020.

To accomplish this, P&G says it is committed to: 
 

In addition, P&G reports that it is working across its supply chain to develop the capability by 2020 to replace top petroleum-derived raw materials with renewable materials, as cost and scale permit.

“We’re committed to grow P&G’s business responsibly,” Riant says. “We want to create industry-leading value for consumers and shareholders while conserving resources, protecting the environment and improving quality of life for those who need it most. P&G’s growth objectives and sustainability goals are mutually interdependent.”