Colgate-Palmolive Releases Sustainability Report and Strategy Through 2015
Colgate-Palmolive has released its latest sustainability report, “Giving the World Reasons to Smile.” The new online report details Colgate’s long-standing commitment, achievements, accomplishments and challenges to sustainability and social responsibility.
Specifically with regard to environmental stewardship, Colgate has:
- Reduced per-ton manufacturing-related greenhouse gas emissions by 21 percent,
- Decreased water use by 44 percent, and
- Lowered wastewater loading by 31 percent
(between 2002 and 2010).
In addition, the company requests that all key suppliers measure and disclose climate change information and overall transparency. Colgate’s Supplier Code of Conduct sets the company’s expectations for suppliers in a number of critical areas, including:
- labor practices
- protecting the environment
- health and safety
- universal human rights
- ethical dealings
- management systems
The company also established a few key supply chain goals. For instance, by 2015, Colgate wants to:
- ensure that 70 percent of the company’s supplier spending in at-risk industries, geographies or environments to undergo a responsible sourcing self-assessment and/or third party audit.
- purchase only certified sustainable palm oil and derivatives from Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil member companies.
Initiatives like these make good business sense, as stakeholders today are looking for assurances that companies have processes in place to monitor supplier practices, minimize risks and meet compliance requirements. Kudos to Colgate for stepping up to sustainability challenges and working to integrate CSR throughout its global supplier network.
“Long before many businesses began talking about sustainability and social responsibility, Colgate recognized that how we do business is just as important as what we do,” said Colgate’s President and Chief Executive Officer Ian Cook. “At Colgate, sustainability is not just a project or initiative – it’s built into and about business decisions every day.”
The 2011 sustainability report and videos of sustainability in action at Colgate are available at www.colgate.com/sustainability.
