Procter & Gamble (P&G) has successfully reduced energy and water use at its facilities by 20% per unit of production four years ahead of schedule, according to the company’s latest Citizenship report.
The company behind household home goods and toiletry brands, which has manufacturing facilities in Manchester, Reading and elsewhere in the UK, hit its 2020 sustainability target due “in a large part” to its employee engagement programme; ‘The Power of 5’.
This campaign committed P&G’s manufacturing sites and conservation team to saving $100 million in three years. This engagement programme improved energy efficiency by 5% in the last 12 months, with P&G claiming to have made more than $500 million in total savings since 2010.
The company’s data shows a reduction of over 7% in energy consumption between 2016 and the previous year, while greenhouse gas emissions went down by a similar proportion. In total, g2g emissions have fallen by 10% since 2010 as P&G seek a total reduction of 30% by the end of the decade.
Some of these efforts are being pursued by greater take-up of renewable energy, with a goal of meeting 30% of its energy demand with clean energy by 2020.
In financial year 2015/16, P&G achieved 9.6% and have two projects underway that will nearly its use of renewable energy – a 50MW biomass plant in Albany, Georgia and a 100MW wind farm with EDF Renewable Energy to power plants in the U.S. and Canada.
The company has a long-term target of powering all its plants with 100% renewable energy as part of the RE100 initiative.
David Taylor, P&G’s chairman of the board, president and chief executive officer, said: “We are, and want to be known as, a company that is governed responsibly and behaves ethically, that is open and transparent in its business dealings, that supports good causes and protects the environment, and that provides an appealing place to work where our employees are treated well and are given the opportunity to be all they can be.”
