2020 GOALS
In 2010, we declared a set of goals and commitments to reduce our environmental footprint across climate, water and waste. Since then our business has continued to grow, while our teams have developed smarter, more efficient ways to operate. As we close out 2020, we are proud to report that 14 out of 16 goals we set back in 2010 have been achieved.
Ambition 2030
Reducing our carbon emissions, prioritizing water conservation and shifting to renewable electricity are just the beginning. In 2018, we took a hard look and refocused our energy toward 2030, with a new set of goals and an embrace of new practices intended not just to reduce our footprint and conserve precious resources, but to help restore the world, ultimately leaving it better than we found it.
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Ambition 2030: Brands making a positive impact
Faced with unprecedented challenges, our brands are reinventing citizenship and enabling responsible consumption.
Goal: 100% of our leadership brands will inspire responsible consumption.
Serving five billion people gives our brands the unique opportunity to delight consumers through superior product performance and to promote conversations, influence attitudes, inspire behavior change and drive positive impact on society and the environment.Goal: 100% of our leadership brands will inspire responsible consumption.
Cascade is addressing the issue of water scarcity through persuasive consumer messaging like the ‘Do It Every Night’ ad campaign, with has the potential to reduce household water usage across millions of US homes.
Goal: Reduce our use of virgin plastic in packaging by 50%.
Our brands are pursuing a range of solutions with the aim to make packaging more sustainable. As a company, we’ve committed to ensuring 100% of our packaging will be recyclable or reusable by 2030 and to reducing virgin petroleum plastic in packaging by 50% by 2030. We’re innovating, collaborating and taking action to unleash the circular economy across our portfolio of brands.Goal: Reduce our use of virgin plastic in packaging by 50%.
2030 goal: achieve 100% recyclable or reusable packaging globally.
Old Spice and Secret became the first major brands in North America to introduce an all-paper tube package made of 90 percent recycled paper
Ariel in Europe is increasing recycled content in liquid detergent bottles up to 50%
Refill and Reuse More Bottles.
In Europe, P&G Beauty is offering a new aluminum reusable, refillable bottle system for Pantene, Aussie, Head & Shoulders and Herbal Essences, along with fully recyclable refill pouches made with 60% less plastic than standard shampoo bottles. The new refill system will be available to as many as 200 million households across Europe and is predicted to halt the production of approximately 300 million virgin plastic bottles per year starting in 2021.Refill and Reuse More Bottles.
Goal: Building even greater trust through transparency.
We know consumers appreciate transparency. That's why we provide information beyond the label about our product safety standards and ingredients and we are constantly exploring new reliable and accessible ways of sharing ingredient information.Goal: Building even greater trust through transparency.
Our brand websites offer more information than ever before about our ingredients, making it easy to understand a product’s ingredients as well as what we don’t use. In North America we started listing the ingredients for our formulated products in SmartLabel in 2018. In 2020 we delivered our expanded transparency commitment* by sharing the ingredients in our product fragrance formulas down to 0.01%.
Saving Energy at Home
About 80% of a washing machine’s energy consumption comes from heating the water. By delivering a superior performance in quick, cold cycles, Ariel and Tide have been at the forefront of driving change, helping people get the clean they need while saving time, money and energy.
We are proud to report that in 2019 we reached our goal set in 2010 to turn 70% of all washing machine loads globally into energy efficient cycles by 2020.
Ambition 2030: Reduce our footprint and strive for circular solutions
We are working to reduce the environmental footprint of our suppliers, buyers and manufacturing sites - sourcing sustainable materials and exploring new business models to drive circular solutions.
Goal: Reduce our greenhouse gas emissions by 50% across our operations.
Goal: Reduce our greenhouse gas emissions by 50% across our operations.
- We will purchase 100% renewable electricity globally, cut GHG emissions in half at P&G sites and be carbon neutral for the decade
In addition to carbon emissions, we will reduce our footprint in several more ways:
- P&G sites will deliver a 35% increase in water efficiency and source at least five billion liters of water from circular sources
- Advance at least 10 significant supply chain partnerships to drive circularity on climate, water or waste
We targeted 30% reduction in Scope 1 and 2 GHG emissions by 2020 and over-delivered by achieving a 52% reduction
100% of P&G plants are now sending Zero Manufacturing Waste to Landfill
Goal: Protect and enhance the forests we depend on.
Goal: Protect and enhance the forests we depend on.
Trees and the products they provide are an essential part of our daily lives and can play a role in helping address climate change. By producing all of our paper towel, toilet paper, and tissue products with wood pulp sourced from responsibly managed forests, we are helping to promote forestry practices that leave a smaller environmental footprint, protect vulnerable species and make a positive impact on communities that depend on them.
For every tree we use, at least one is regrown. P&G requires that 100% of the wood pulp we source is certified by a leading third-party certification system ensuring forests are responsibly managed.
Charmin is Forest Stewardship Council® and Rainforest Alliance certified
We’re working with experts to increase the number of forest acres that are Forest Stewardship Council® certified in the US and Canada
Goal: Improve livelihoods of palm smallholders by increasing yields from existing lands.
Palm Oil is an important, versatile and highly efficient natural and renewable vegetable oil. It is widely used for cooking, and in home and personal care goods, food and biofuels. Palm production globally is approximately 80 million tons per year. Palm Oil (PO) is the primary material while Palm Kernel Oil (PKO) is essentially a by-product material. P&G currently uses less than 1% of the global palm volume, mostly palm kernel oil. Goal: Improve livelihoods of palm smallholders by increasing yields from existing lands.
At P&G we are committed to the responsible sourcing of palm meaning it does not contribute to deforestation while respecting human and labor rights. We are actively engaged as members of the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) and support their standards to drive responsible practices across the industry.
Approximately 40% of global palm oil is grown by smallholders. Enabling and ensuring sustainable farming practices has the potential to both improve lives and deliver greater environmentally-sound palm production and supply. We have been supporting RSPO training for independent smallholders in Malaysia since 2015, most recently in their work towards achieving the new RSPO Independent Smallholder Standard (RISS).
Ambition 2030: Partnerships for people, the planet and our business to thrive
We’ve put more environmental sustainability goals in place to reduce carbon emissions, protect water and find ways to repurpose waste. But we also know we can’t do it alone. Solving the biggest challenges will require collaboration, which is why we’re focused on partnering for greater impact across the industry, and the world.
Goal: Carbon neutral for the decade.
The next decade represents a critical window to significantly decrease the carbon emitted into the atmosphere and ensure a healthy planet for present and future generations. We are committed to being carbon neutral for the decade and will accelerate efforts to curb climate change by taking actions designed to protect our planet. Goal: Carbon neutral for the decade.
In addition to cutting GHG emissions in half at P&G sites, we will address the remaining GHG emissions by advancing a portfolio of natural climate solutions that leverage the power of nature. Working closely with Conservation International, World Wildlife Fund and other leading climate experts, P&G will fund a range of projects designed to protect, improve and restore forests, wetlands, grasslands and peatlands, that increase carbon storage or avoid greenhouse gas emissions while supporting local communities and economic recovery.
Learn about Natural Climate Solutions.
Goal: Create solutions so no packaging finds its way to the ocean.
At P&G we’re concerned that plastic waste in our environment is a serious problem, especially when it ends up in our rivers and oceans. It’s a complex global challenge that requires a comprehensive, collaborative approach across the entire plastics lifecycle. Our brands, our suppliers and our partners have been working on a range of sustainable solutions and driving circularity so that plastic is treated as a resource that is collected, recycled and reused. Goal: Create solutions so no packaging finds its way to the ocean.
In 2019 we joined forces with industry, governments, civil society and development agencies to form The Alliance to End Plastic Waste – a non-profit organization committed to fund and incubate projects and programs that will prevent plastic waste from leaking into the environment. P&G CEO David Taylor took the lead to serve as the first Chairman of the Alliance, now comprising nearly 50 member companies and supporters across the value chain. The Alliance aims to divert millions of tons of plastic waste in more than 100 at-risk cities, improve livelihoods for millions and contribute to a circular economy.
Goal: Finding Smart Packaging Solutions.
P&G led a coalition of companies to test the use of digital watermark technology to turn packages into “intelligent objects” and accomplish sorting benefits deemed impossible for the recycling industry to achieve. Faster, more accurate sorting means less environmental pollution as more plastics go back into the circular economy at a much higher re-use quality.Goal: Finding Smart Packaging Solutions.
Now, the HolyGrail 2.0 consortium of more than 85 companies is being facilitated by AIM, the European Brands Association. P&G is chairing the Leadership Team of HolyGrail 2.0, with the goal to enter a European test market by early 2022.
Goal: Protect Water for People and Nature.
Goal: Protect Water for People and Nature.
For P&G, water is essential for both the use and production of our products. Over the last ten years, our water stewardship program has evolved alongside our growing understanding of the complex challenges facing the world’s water resources, and where we can have the greatest impact.
We are focused on several ways to advance our water-saving program
- Driving water efficiency in our manufacturing
- Innovating to create products and campaigns that reduce in-home water use
- Building partnerships to advance our conservation efforts
Cascade Platinum Action Pacs can save more than 20 gallons of water per load.** Their “Do It Every Night” campaign informs consumers how much water they can save by running their dishwasher every night versus washing by hand.
Households using Swiffer Wet or WetJet can save more than 70 gallons of water per year compared to the standard mop and bucket.
50 Liter Home Coalition will reinvent water use in the home
At P&G, we believe there are opportunities to develop and scale viable innovations to reinvent how water is used in cities around the world. Today, we know that the average home in the developed world is highly inefficient, using up to 500 liters of water per person each day. Showering, laundry, cooking and washing dishes in the home result in using 10% of the earth’s water supply. P&G is spearheading the 50L Home Coalition to bring partners across the domestic water value chain to leverage technologies and innovations that enable a person to live on 50 liters of water per day that feels like 500 liters.
Ambition 2030: Building sustainability into our workplace and communities
Our organization has made tremendous progress against our goals and that’s driven largely by the passion and ingenuity of our employees. To reach our 2030 goals, we must keep our people engaged and equipped.
Integrate sustainability as a key strategy in our business plans
Educate employees across all levels
Reward progress and integrate recognition in employee performance assessments
Our work doesn't stop here
To get a deeper look at the details of our P&G sustainability efforts, download our 2020 Citizenship report. For more information on our 2030 goals, download our Ambition 2030 plan. This is just the start of our journey to advance progress against our environmental sustainability goals. And as we work, we’ll continue identifying partners and actions we plan to take, and share our progress with you each year.
History of P&G Sustainability.
To see the full history of our environmental sustainability efforts, take a look at our timeline.
Learn about our latest efforts
The most significant environmental impact your laundry has is the energy used to heat the water in your washing machine. That’s why Tide and Ariel are leading the way to a more sustainable future by encouraging people to switch to cold-water washing.
All goal numbers are representative of progress since 2010.
*in North America
** Pre-rinsing dishes prior to loading the dishwasher uses up to 20 gallons of water. (Source: Energy Star energystar.gov)
