2/7/2023
Procter & Gamble Innovates to Create Products That Are Both Sustainable and Accessible
Through inclusive design, we’re also helping consumers live more sustainably.
At P&G, we’re working to make people’s everyday lives a little better. That’s why we’re including consumers and employees with disabilities in the design of our products, packaging, advertising and facilities to create a more accessible world and superior experiences for everyone.
And while we’re at it, we are setting a new standard of superiority, one where consumers’ sustainability expectations are considered from the start of the innovation journey. Learn how.
Gillette’s packaging is one example. The Wall Street Journal recently featured Gillette’s inclusive and sustainable packaging design, sharing how it cuts down on the amount of thick plastic we use, and can also save our consumers the hassle of opening our products. Click here for the full story.
“Consumers would go right to, ‘Your packaging is so plastic’, and then usually in the next breath they would say, ‘And it’s so hard to open’,” Kara Buckley, head of global grooming communications at Procter & Gamble, told the WSJ.
In 2021, our Gillette razor brand began selling some razors in cardboard packaging with a pulp tray, rather than in plastic blister packs and trays. Today, around 80% of our Gillette refillable razors globally are now sold in the new packaging, Ms. Buckley said.
By moving away from plastic blister packs that some customers said were frustrating to get into, we’re also driving inclusive design practices.
Recently launched in Europe, Ariel SECURECLIC® box is the first Ariel laundry pack to be both certified child-safe and designed to be inclusive and intuitive to use for all adults, thanks to its ergonomic opening system powered by extensive research. Ariel has also designed large, clear, and legible opening instructions placed at the top of the pack to make sure the box is easy and comfortable to open for all, including those with dexterity, visual, and/or cognitive impairments. For blind and low-vision people, we introduced a new tactile symbol that helps identify the product through touch as a laundry detergent. SECURECLIC® also features the NaviLens code, which can be scanned with a phone to locate the product on the shelf and to learn more about it.
Sumaira Latif, Company Accessibility Leader at Procter & Gamble, says inclusivity and sustainability goals are interrelated.
When companies like P&G are designing packaging, it’s “a good opportunity to design packaging that is both good for the environment and for consumers with disabilities,” Latif told Packaging Europe.
To learn more about P&G’s commitment to sustainability, visit https://us.pg.com/environmental-sustainability/.
To learn more about P&G’s commitment to People with Disabilities, visit: https://us.pg.com/people-with-disabilities/.
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