On Tuesday, Procter & Gamble (P&G) announced that it recycles, repurposes or converts 100 percent of the waste at 45 manufacturing sites around the world and claims less than one percent of raw materials currently leave its plants as waste.
P&G says it is actively looking for ways to create value from waste through innovation and strong partnerships the world over. The company’s Gillette factory in the United Kingdom composts shaving foam into turf used for commercial purposes. One plant in Mexico turns Charmin bath tissue into low-cost roof tiles for use in local housing. Upholstery filling scrap at a U.S. Pampers facility is converted from diapers and wipes.
“We have a vision for the future, where plants are powered by renewable energy, products are made from recycled and renewable materials and resources are conserved, with no manufacturing or consumer waste going to landfill,” said Bob McDonald, P&G President, CEO and Chairman of the Board. “Changing the way we see waste as a company has brought us one step closer to this goal at 45 sites worldwide, where all of our waste is recycled, repurposed or converted into energy.”
The company says it ultimately hopes to achieve zero waste to landfill at all of its sites across the globe by 2020.
P&G has set other environmental targets to achieve by 2020, including powering its plants with 100 percent renewable energy, using 100 percent reusable materials or recyclate for all products and packaging and designing products that promote the conservation of resources.
Late last year, the company set several fiber-sourcing goals developed with the World Wildlife Fund to use only third-party certified pulp for its tissue towel, baby care and feminine hygiene products by 2015.
In 2012, P&G began offering for free its Excel-based environmental sustainability scorecard analysis tool to companies desiring to measure and interpret key environmental sustainability metrics across their supply chains. By providing the tool free of charge, P&G said it hoped to enable other companies to focus on improving their environmental footprint without investing in the development of analysis software.
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Founder, Hower Impact
Mike Hower is the founder of Hower Impact — a boutique consultancy delivering strategic communication advisory and support for corporate sustainability, ESG and climate tech.
Published Apr 3, 2013 5am EDT / 2am PDT / 10am BST / 11am CEST