8/24/2024
World Water Week: Contributing to a Water Positive Future
71% of the Earth is covered by water, yet water scarcity still affects every continent on our planet.
Nearly one-third of the world’s population currently lives in water-stressed regions, and that number is expected to grow to two-thirds by 2025.
That’s why each year during World Water Week, the global water community comes together in Stockholm, Sweden, to learn, knowledge-share and collaborate to help accelerate action.
How is P&G contributing to a Water Positive Future?
Our comprehensive three-pillar strategy, which we introduced in 2022, is focused on reducing, restoring and responding to water challenges through innovation and partnerships. We want to help build a future where water can sustain nature and people for generations to come.
We are making progress toward reducing our water use in our facilities.
All of our products need water to be made, so we set our sights on increasing our water efficiency by reducing the amount of water we use in our facilities by 35% per unit of production by 2030, and have reached 24% since 2010.
We also are recycling 3.47 billion liters of water a year in our facilities, well on our way to our goal of 5 billion liters recycled and reused annually by 2030.
We want to restore water in 18 water-stressed areas around the world where we operate.
To us, restoring water means improving, managing or protecting water.
We are working with on-the-ground partners who have deep knowledge of the local challenges by supporting long-term projects that improve, manage or protect freshwater resources.
Our goals are to:
- Restore more water than is consumed at P&G manufacturing sites in 18 water-stressed areas around the world. This goal focuses on water that evaporates during the manufacturing process or is incorporated into our finished products, and
- Restore more water than is consumed during the use of our products in the water-stressed metropolitan areas of Mexico City and Los Angeles. This goal focuses on water that leaks or evaporates in households during the use of P&G products.
We are already advancing projects that are helping restore water resources in critical areas of the U.S. These long-term projects are the first steps toward restoring water in 18 water-stressed areas across seven countries where we operate.
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We are responding to water challenges through innovation and partnerships.
Through longstanding partnerships, we are bringing our experience in innovation and consumer understanding to unlock new solutions to water challenges:
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As part of the 50 Liter Home Coalition, we have launched the Coalition’s first pilot in California. The pilot involves houses, where we monitor daily water and hot water usage per person. Half of these homes, known as the Test Group, were retrofitted with fixtures and appliances from our partners, as well as products from P&G. These fixtures, appliances and products are designed to save water and energy. Meanwhile, the other half, known as the Control Group, is not receiving any products, appliances or fixtures. After 7 months, the Test group has reduced their total indoor water usage by 19% and their hot water usage by 11% compared to their previous consumption, and each by 24% compared to the Control group.
Building upon the exciting impact from the initial pilot in Los Angeles, the 50L Home Coalition will conduct an innovation pilot project in London to test and validate water and energy reduction in homes.
Our Children’s Safe Drinking Water Program has delivered 22 billion liters of clean water to people in need in over 90 countries since the program’s inception. The program’s goal is to deliver 25 billion liters of clean drinking water by 2025.
We partnered with Brave Blue World Foundation to raise awareness of the global water crisis through a new documentary, “Our Blue World — A Water Odyssey.” The film explains how we can save water and energy at home, featuring P&G scientists who provide expert insights. It also emphasizes the effectiveness of P&G products that are made better, and made to save energy, water and waste.
Our brands, like Dawn and Cascade, are getting the job done, and delivering better performance while saving water at home:
- Dawn Powerwash Dish Spray: spray-activated suds eliminate the need for water when hand washing dishes until the final rinse — cutting the amount of water used compared to traditional dish soaps by up to 50%, all while delivering a faster clean1. This can save consumers up to 8 gallons of water per wash2.
- Cascade Platinum Plus: delivers a better clean and enables more people to trust their dishwashers — so they can skip the pre-rinse and save time and water. The dishwasher only uses 4 gallons of water per cycle, while handwashing uses that much water in just 2 minutes. Cascade’s formula contains enzymes that latch onto and break down food particles without the pre-rinse. By skipping the sink and choosing the dishwasher, households can save up to 100 gallons of water per week3.
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This week and beyond, we look forward to continuing our work with our partners, communities and stakeholders to help address water challenges. Learn more about our environmental sustainability goals and progress.
1When used as instructed, compared to the water used when running the tap continually to hand wash dishes. 50% vs. Cascade Complete ActionPack.
2Among consumers who wash the dishes for at least 11 minutes with the tap running.
3vs washing dishes at a running sink for over 10 minutes per day.