Procter & Gamble more than doubles sustainability targets
Josh Brooks, packagingnews.co.uk, 27 March 2009
FMCG giant Procter & Gamble has upped the stakes in green products and packaging after more than doubling its 2012 sales targets for sustainable products.
Speaking this morning at the European Business Summit, Gianni Ciserani, president of P&G in western Europe, said that the company would increase the target to $50bn from the previously-stated $20bn due to an increased pipeline for what the company calls "sustainable innovation products".
These are products which have a carbon footprint 10% or more smaller than previous or alternative products and include the popular pebble-shaped Ariel ExcelGel concentrated detergent, which uses less packaging than previous products and claims to wash clothes at just 15 degrees celsius.
Ciserani also told delegates that P&G would cut carbon emissions, energy consumption, water usage and waste by 20% by 2012, giving a total reduction since 2002 or 50%, compared to the previous target of 40%.
"Innovation has never been more critical to the long-term success of our business and even in these tough times we are continuing to drive innovation on our brands" he said.
"In laundry, we have set the trend for the future - first with Ariel Cool Clean and now with Ariel ExcelGel, a breakthrough product that delivers our best cleaning while touching three points of the sustainable product innovation cycle - less chemicals, less water and less energy."
A third target unveiled this morning was to deliver three billion litres of clean water to disadvantaged children around the world through its Live, Learn and Thrive programme. The target compares to a previous goal of two billion litres.
