2Sustain

Since 2002, the Procter & Gamble Company has reduced (per unit of production) water consumption by 52%, energy usage by 48%, CO2 emissions by 52%, and waste disposal by 53%.

P&G announced these impressive details today with the release of its 2009 Sustainability Report titled “Designed to Matter.” The 26-page report outlines P&G’s progress in improving the environmental profile of products and operations, while simultaneously, the company has delivered several new, sustainable product innovations.

Here are a few more highlights from the report:

• Since 2007, P&G has achieved $13.1 billion in cumulative sales of products with a significantly reduced environmental impact. This includes sales of innovative new products like Ariel Excel Gel, a highly concentrated, low temperature laundry detergent introduced in Western Europe. Consumers using Ariel Excel Gel use 20 to 50% less energy, while manufacturing requires 40 to 50% less water and 30 to 40% less energy. (Variations  are the result of country differences, such as energy rates, base packaging comparisons.)

• P&G is moving from multi-modal to “intermodal” transportation that focuses on boats and trains, rather than trucks and planes. In North America, use of intermodal transport has increased 30%, saving 11 million liters of diesel fuel and reducing overall miles by 12% since F07-08 –while delivering the same volume of product.

• The company is also incorporating sustainability criteria into the design of products and display units. For instance, new shampoo displays are made from 100% recycled corrugate.

• The Children’s Safe Drinking Water program has delivered 930 million liters of clean drinking water since 2007, preventing an estimated 39 million days of disease and saving thousands of lives.

• P&G continued to expand its Corporate Cause program, Live, Learn and Thrive(TM), aimed at helping children in need around the world. Since 2007, the program has reached 135 million children. Programs were led by P&G employees, with many advanced by leading P&G brands, to help raise public awareness, engagement and philanthropic donations. Some brands have formed key partnerships to address social issues, such as Pampers’ work with UNICEF to eradicate maternal and neonatal tetanus and the Always and Tampax “Protecting Futures” program which helps keep girls in school in the developing world.

“At P&G, we are focusing our Sustainability efforts on building long-term capabilities for the Company. That’s why the theme of this report is ‘Designed to Matter,’” says Bob McDonald, P&G’s President and CEO, in the report. “We design our strategies and plans to ensure that the work we do makes a meaningful difference –in the environmental footprint of our products and operations, in areas of the world where people most need our help, and in the lives of our employees and external partners. We bring the power and scale of our brands and our people –our two most important assets –to solve real problems facing the world. It has been a part of our culture for decades.”

The full report is available at http://www.pg.com/sustainability.