The Procter & Gamble Company (NYSE:PG) today announced it has achieved many of its 2020 environmental sustainability goals, has plans in place to meet the rest and has established new, broad-reaching goals for 2030. The new goals, titled “Ambition 2030,” aim to enable and inspire positive impact on the environment and society while creating value for the Company and consumers.
“We believe P&G can be a force for good and a force for growth, and we are taking a more deliberate approach to delighting consumers while enabling responsible consumption,” said David Taylor, P&G’s Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer. “Consumers expect the brands they trust to deliver superior performance and also to help solve some of the most complex challenges facing our world. Our global reach, our understanding of the five billion consumers we serve, and our innovation capabilities give us a unique ability to make a positive difference.”
P&G’s global “Ambition 2030” goals include:
- Brands: P&G’s 20 leadership brands including Always, Ariel, Gillette, Fairy, Febreze, Head & Shoulders, Pantene and Pampers will enable and inspire responsible consumption through packaging that is 100% recyclable or reusable, launching more sustainable innovations, and building trust through transparency and sharing our safety science.
- Supply Chain: P&G manufacturing sites will cut greenhouse gas emissions in half, and will purchase enough renewable electricity to power 100% of our plants. The company will also source at least 5 billion litres of water from circular sources.
- Society: P&G will continue to create transformative partnerships that enable people, the planet and our business to thrive, including those that stem the flow of plastic into the world’s oceans, protect and enhance forests, expand recycling solutions for absorbent hygiene products, and protect water in priority basins around the world.
- Employees: P&G will engage, equip and reward employees for building sustainability thinking and practices into their everyday work. We will reward progress and integrate recognition into performance assessments.
Further details about P&G’s “Ambition 2030” goals can be found here.
Building on its legacy of environmental leadership, P&G has already achieved many of its sustainability goals for 2020 in its focus areas of climate, (reduced absolute greenhouse gas emissions by 16% since 2010), water (reduced water use in manufacturing facilities by 27% since 2010), and waste (achieved zero manufacturing waste to landfill for more than 80% of global manufacturing sites). The impact of P&G’s progress can be seen across all four of its UK & Ireland manufacturing sites, which have all achieved Zero Manufacturing Waste to Landfill (ZMWTL) status by ensuring all incoming materials are recycled, converted into finished product, or re-used in alternative ways through partnerships.
P&G continues to leverage the power of its brands to inspire change. Last year, P&G announced the launch of the first ever Fairy Ocean Plastic bottle. The limited-edition bottle, which will be available to purchase in the UK later this year, will be made from 100% post-consumer recycled (PCR) plastic and ocean plastic, and will be manufactured in the UK at our West Thurrock plant. The launch will include 320,000 bottles, the largest production run of recyclable dish-soap bottles in the world, and aims raise awareness of the issue of ocean plastic pollution.
P&G is also leading the industry-wide “Holy Grail” project, part of the Ellen McArthur Foundation’s New Plastics Economy. The project is aimed at developing an additional dimension for the sorting of plastics at material recovery facilities and/or recycling plants. This will allow more plastics to be recycled and improve the purity of recycled material — allowing more widespread use.
P&G is also a member of the Trash Free Seas Alliance to help address the issue of ocean plastic. The Alliance recognises the role consumers have to play to ensure that oceans remain plastic-free.
This progress is further detailed in P&G’s 2017 Citizenship Report
“Building on our progress to date, our 2030 goals seek to address two of the world’s most pressing environmental challenges: finite resources and growing consumption,” said Virginie Helias, P&G Vice President of Global Sustainability. “We know P&G alone does not have all the answers. It will take partnerships and collaboration to make meaningful progress and our brands will develop innovations to take responsible consumption to the next level.”
“P&G has been a leader in driving sustainable development. Their strategy is aligned with our belief that businesses will be more successful by being more sustainable. We applaud their framework Ambition 2030 which has the potential to drive significant positive global impact for shareholders, the environment and societies.” said Peter Bakker, President and CEO, World Business Council for Sustainable Development.
About P&G’s Approach to Citizenship
Environmental Sustainability is one of P&G’s Citizenship focus areas, along with Ethics & Corporate Responsibility, Community Impact, Gender Equality and Diversity & Inclusion. The Company’s Citizenship programs support the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure prosperity for all. For more information on P&G’s Citizenship efforts, read P&G’s 2017 Citizenship Report here.
