P&G Touts Green Practices

Procter & Gamble released its “Designed to Matter” annual sustainability report today (Monday), which showed a significant boost in purchases of its sustainable products. The report also cited a 50 percent reduction in CO2, water consumption and waste disposal by P&G since 2002.Since July 2007, P&G has sold $13.1 worth of sustainable products. The company hopes to reach $50 billion by 2012, with more products such as its energy-efficient detergent Ariel Excel Gel, which P&G showcases in the report. According to P&G, the company also has avoided using 136,000 metric tons of packaging since 2006. Still, P&G acknowledged that while green products are in demand, the majority of consumers are unwilling to sacrifice value or quality in order to have more eco-friendly products.The release of the report comes less than a month after P&G made several multi-year commitments to sustainability programs at the Clinton Global Initiative conference in New York City.“A fundamental reason why P&G has been in business for 172 years is the clarity and constancy of our company’s purpose—to touch and improve consumers’ lives with branded products and services,” said P&G chief executive and executive sponsor of sustainability Bob McDonald, in a statement. “To fulfill this purpose, we must grow responsibly and sustainably and ensure that company employees design strategies and programs that make a meaningful difference both in the environmental footprint of our products and our operations.”P&G also points to its significant reductions in manufacturing processes. Since July of 2002, it has cut its waste disposal by 53 percent (30 percent of which has gone down in the past two years), its water usage and CO2 emissions by 52 percent, and its energy usage by 48 percent.The company has also created Global Asset Recovery Purchases group (or GARP) that assists its manufacturing plants across the world to recycle materials. For example, the GARP team found that by shredding the scrap metal from its Budapest plant, it could produce combustible material that local cement makers found valuable and is now purchasing from them. P&G has also shifted from the use of trucks and planes to using trains and boats where possible. In Western Europe, it aims to increase its use of rail transportation from 10 to 30 percent by 2015.The report emphasized how the P&G has engaged employees in the company's efforts. This included high-profile events, such as the weeklong Earth Day celebration and group field trips, as well as ongoing e-training, carpooling and office recycling projects.“Around the world, P&G employees have made sustainability a core part of their everyday work, developing innovative solutions and delivery meaningful results across the business,” said P&G vp of global sustainability Len Sauers, in a statement.

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P&G Touts Green Practices

Alex Palmer

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