It’s not a direct line to environmental sustainability

Environmental sustainability may sound complex and daunting, but in reality it is the simple steps we need to take to protect the home we all share, Planet Earth. We need to use less, reuse across the value chain, track impact transparently and repeat.

As responsible business leaders we have to create strategies that are both meaningful and appealing.

When we think “environmental sustainability”, it can’t only be thought of in a linear manner. We have to consider the ways in which we spark change. We must offer consumers opportunities to make sustainable choices that are both cost-effective for them and a part of their everyday life.

We do this by integrating sustainability into our daily work.

The first and most important step to safeguard the environment is the implicit understanding that reducing our dependence on scarce natural resources will bring benefit to both our consumer as well as our business. There are three key areas where organisations like ours can make interventions.

Innovation

Organizations must be willing to innovate and experiment in order to succeed in creating and meeting future expectations of both consumers as well as the planet with an unwavering commitment to excellence. For example, in the Gulf, we are saving 31 per cent of the water used for manufacturing and with our products we are also helping consumers save over 20 gallons of water per wash by using our compacted powder formulas of Tide, Ariel or Bonux.

The consumer benefits from less energy and water consumption per wash, in addition to knowing the benefits of our product and how, by choosing to use it, they are reducing their own environmental footprint.

Education

We must play our part in educating our suppliers on our commitment to environmental sustainability and educating our consumers on the impact of their choices. We have globally announced our Ambition 2030 goals among which is that 100 per cent of our leadership brands will enable and inspire responsible consumption. Serving five billion people gives our brands the unique opportunity to not only delight consumers though superior product performance, but to also promote conversations, influence attitudes, change behaviour, and drive positive impacts for all stakeholders.

Organisational values

Instilling and rewarding environmental sustainability choices as a key element of employee work plans across disciplines from R&D, manufacturing, supply chain to marketing and sales. An example that we are proud of is that in the Gulf we have reduced the volume of waste generated through our manufacturing to almost zero and recycle over 80 per cent of our supply chain waste from our factories.

We have committed to globally using 100 per cent recyclable packaging material by 2030 and while working towards that goal in the Gulf we continue to rethink how raw materials are being used in the production phase. As a result, we’ve been able to reduce the amount of materials we use, the energy it takes to produce them and the waste at the end of consumer use.

We have been incorporating sustainability into our way of doing business for decades. We see it as our responsibility, as well as a business opportunity, and want to ensure no one has to choose between the products they use and enjoy today and what they hope to preserve for tomorrow.

This daily incorporation is our view of how we can take simple ideas, to collaborate and make a positive impact to our home.

Mohammad Sultan is General Manager for the Arabian Peninsula, Procter & Gamble (P&G).