Reducing our footprint one step at a time
More and more, the world is depending on companies to make sustainable choices. As one of the largest consumer goods companies in the world, we feel an environmental responsibility to do the right thing. At P&G, sustainability is crucial, and we’re committed to doing our part.
P&G sustainability goals for 2030
During Earth Week in 2018, we released new sustainability goals called Ambition 2030. These broad-reaching goals have one purpose in mind: to enable and inspire positive impact on our environment and society while creating value for us as a company and you as a consumer.
In an effort to address two of the world’s most pressing environmental challenges—finite resources and growing consumption—we’ve focused our ambitious goals in these specific areas.
Click to jump to each section.
2030 Ambition: Brands making a positive impact
In a world where sustainable lifestyles have become more important than ever, we need brands to meet performance expectations while also helping to solve some of the most complex challenges facing our world. That’s why we’re working to make social and environmental responsibility an integral component of every brand in our portfolio. Here’s how.
Goal: 100% of leadership brands will enable and inspire responsible consumption
We want all our leadership brands to constantly grow and create value while also having a measurable positive impact on society and our environment.
The Ariel Ambition is to re-invent a better clean to consume 50% less resources in key impact areas such as energy and water.
Herbal Essences commits to enable everyone to experience the positive power of nature, supporting biodiversity for the benefit of people and the planet.
Goal 100% of our packaging will be recyclable or reusable
We plan to make this happen for the majority of our packaging through a combination of material choice, package design, and working with partners to create innovative solutions for more sustainable products.
But the unique challenge lies in the remaining fraction of our packaging, because they use materials and formats in much smaller amounts. By 2030, we’ll come up with solutions through both technical and commercial innovation.
2030 goal: Ensure 90% of product packaging is recyclable
As of 2018, 86% of P&G packages are considered recyclable
Charmin and Puffs have moved to 100% recyclable packaging for many of their products.
In partnership with TerraCycle and SUEZ, we produced the world’s 1st recyclable shampoo bottle made with up to 25% recycled beach plastic.
Goal: Build even greater trust through transparency
We know consumers want to know as much as they about our products & the ingredients that go in them. That’s why we’re continuing to provide transparency around our ingredient innovation and safety science.
Tide purclean™ is certified 65% bio-based, with 100% recyclable packaging, and is produced at a plant that sends zero manufacturing waste to landfill.
2017 Momentum for Change Lighthouse Award for world’s first recyclable shampoo bottle made from beach plastic
-United Nations Climate Change Secretariat
2030 Ambition: Reducing our supply chain footprint
Our goal is to keep the promise of "quality you can trust." That's why behind each P&G product is a supply chain committed to environmental responsibility—from sourcing our ingredients to getting the final product on shelf.
Goal: Reduce our footprint and aim for circular solutions based on regeneration and restoration
AMBITION #1: 100% renewable electricity and cut GHG emissions in half at P&G sites
AMBITION #2: Our sites will deliver a 35% increase in water efficiency and source at least five billion liters of water from circular sources
AMBITION #3: Advance at least 10 significant supply chain partnerships to drive circularity on climate, water, or waste
2020 GOAL: Reduce absolute GHG emissions by 30% As of 2018, we’ve reduced emissions by 20%
2030 GOAL: Reduce water use in manufacturing facilities by 20% per unit of production 24% water reduction per unit of production used in P&G manufacturing facilities
Goal: Protect and enhance the forests we depend upon
We use wood pulp in some of our products, and we have rigorous policies in place to make sure we’re sourcing responsibly from forests certified to the highest standards. But as we look to the future, we want to do more to not only protect, but enhance them.
AMBITION #1: Collaborate with numerous organizations to increase the global area of certified forests, while strengthening certification systems.
AMBITION #2: Lead the charge in efforts to develop products with a Forest Positive approach. Inspired by the World Wildlife Fund, this practice will deliver health benefits that will sustain the forests we depend on.
Each Bounty sheet is 2X more absorbent than the next leading custom-size-it brand. 100% of the wood fiber used to make our paper is from responsibly managed forests.
Puffs are made from softwood and hardwood fibers that were produced to meet international standards for responsible forestry.
Goal: Improve livelihoods of small palm farmers
As members of the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil, we’re committed to sourcing our palm and palm derivatives responsibly. In areas like Malaysia and Indonesia—which houses our largest supply chain and has a high density of small farmers—we’re implementing local programs to build responsible agricultural practices. This will help small farmers increase their yield while maintaining P&G sustainability standards.
Climate Leadership Award 2017: Organizational Leader
Recognized for active leadership to address climate change and reduce greenhouse gas emissions
The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA),
the Center for Climate and Energy Solutions,
and The Climate Registry
2030 Ambition: A society working together
We’ve put more environmental sustainability goals in place to protect our water and find ways to repurpose waste. But we also know we can’t do it alone. Solving the biggest challenges we face will require collaboration, which is why we are focused on creating partnerships that will enable people, the planet, and our business to thrive.
Goal: Create solutions so no packaging finds its way to the ocean
We’re saddened by what’s happening to the world’s oceans. That’s why we’ve included a plastics pledge in our 2030 goals. Internally, we’re figuring out holistic solutions so that no P&G packaging finds its way to the ocean. We’re also partnering with organizations that have the same goal in mind, and are already finding ways to stem the flow of plastic to the world’s oceans—like the Trash Free Seas Alliance in Southeast Asia.
Fairy Ocean Plastic bottles are made from 10% ocean plastic and 90% post-consumer recycled plastic. The 100% recyclable bottles were launched to show what can be done to prevent plastic waste from reaching the ocean.
Goal: Protect water for people and nature
Being responsible with the water we depend on is critical to the future of our planet. There's a diverse mix of landscapes, cultures, economies, and climates that make water issues complex and require solutions unique to each river basin.
By 2030, we aim to have clearly defined our priority basins, the partners we'll work with, and the actions needed to address the water challenges specific to each basin. Once that's done, we'll look to advance the solutions to increase their resilience.
2030 GOAL: Ensure 70% of washing machine loads are low-energy cycles As of 2018, 69% of loads are low-energy
2030 GOAL: Provide 1 billion people with access to water-efficient products As of 2018, we've provided access to 700 million people
Cascade Platinum Action Pacs clean stuck-on food so well you can save more than 20 gallons of water per load.*
Households using Swiffer Wet or WetJet can save more than 70 gallons of water per year compared to the standard mop and bucket.
2018 Friend of the Forest Award
-The Arbor Day Foundation
Goal: Advance recycling solutions for Absorbent Hygiene Products
Who would’ve thought you could recycle used diapers? Invented by our joint venture Fater in Italy, we found out a way. The breakthrough technology recycles used absorbent hygiene products to create new products and materials of added value. Partnering with cities, waste operators, and other partners, we plan to have this recycling practice operational in 10 cities across the globe by 2030.
Pampers used this technology to recycle used diapers into bottle caps and viscose, a semi-synthetic fiber.
2030 Ambition: Integrate sustainability in our workplace
Our manufacturing organization has made tremendous progress across climate, water, and waste—and that’s driven largely in part by the passion and ingenuity of our employees. If we want any chance of reaching our 2030 goals, we know how important it is to keep them engaged and equipped.
We have developed a detailed environmental responsibility plan for employees across all levels and organizations to make sure they not only know our goals, but have ways to incorporate them into the work they do every day.
Integrate social and environmental sustainability as a key strategy in our business plans
Educate employees across all levels
Reward progress and integrate recognition in employee performance assessments
2018 Sustainability Leadership Award and Sustainability Initiative of the Year Award
-Business Intelligence Group
See the latest in our environmental sustainability efforts
January 9, 2018
German Sustainability Partner to Launch First Head & Shoulders Shampoo Bottle with 20% Beach Plastic
Our Head & Shoulders brand kicked off 2018 with a new collaboration with an industry partner.
October 5, 2017
P&Gers Team Up with Living Lands & Waters to Beautify Cincinnati
For the second year in a row, nearly 100 P&Gers rolled up their sleeves and joined Living Lands & Waters to help clean up trash along Cincinnati's picturesque Ohio Riverbank.
January 27, 2017
Message in a Bottle
Last year at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, the Ellen MacArthur Foundation challenged the world to drive greater recovery and reuse of plastics. In her remarks, she revealed a striking statistic: At the rate things are going, there could be more plastics than fish in the ocean by 2050.P&G's Lisa Jennings, Global Hair Care Sustainability Leader and Head & Shoulders Brand Franchise Leader, couldn't believe what she had heard.
Our work doesn't stop here
To get a deeper look at the details of our P&G sustainability efforts, download our 2018 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.
All goal numbers are representative of progress since 2010.
* Pre-rinsing dishes prior to loading the dishwasher uses up to 20 gallons of water. (Source: Energy Star energystar.gov)
** Cleaning ingredients per drop vs. the leading competitor’s nonconcentrated brand.
† Based on Dawn and equivalent P&G brands sold in the key markets globally.
