P&G Emphasizes Small Actions at Home To Be More Sustainable

Small steps can lead to big changes, according to Procter & Gamble. To mark Earth Week and as part of its commitment to help make sustainable choices easier for consumers, the CPG giant is launching a new campaign, including a short film called It’s Our Home, to share how small actions at home can make a world of difference for the planet.

According to a new study in the US by P&G, 72% of people want to do more to be sustainable at home and nearly 90% of parents are inspired by their children to do so. But fewer than half of people make environmentally conscious choices at home as often as they’d like. For most people, “not knowing how” is the biggest barrier to acting sustainably.

Closing the gap between intention and action and unlocking change at home has the potential to positively impact the planet by reducing greenhouse gas emissions, electricity, water use, and more. Among the 28 sectors of global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, “homes” are in the top three, and as big as road transportation. And the amount of electricity used at home – accelerated by the COVID-19 pandemic – is expected to nearly double by 2050.



P&G is emphasizing the small changes that can have a big impact—think using cold water for laundry, taking shorter showers or turning off the tap while brushing teeth or shaving, and recycling more. For example, in 2010 P&G made a commitment to have 70% of all washing machine loads be low-energy wash cycles by 2020. P&G reached that goal in 2019 and estimates that since 2015, the avoided emissions from U.S. consumers increasing their use of low-energy laundry cycles have been roughly 15 million metric tons of carbon dioxide. This amount is more than five times larger than P&G’s current global manufacturing and operational emissions, demonstrating the significant impact of positively influencing consumer behavior.

“Meaningful change starts at home, and P&G brands have a big role to play – by helping consumers live more sustainably with no tradeoffs in the superior performance they expect from our products,” said David Taylor, P&G chairman of the board, president and CEO “P&G and our brands will continue to reduce our impact and help people be more sustainable at home to protect our planet – our shared home – for generations to come.”

In the same P&G study, nearly 80% of consumers said they expect the brands they buy to help them live a more environmentally conscious lifestyle. Previous research has shown that sustainable product choices don’t matter if people don’t choose them, and consumers expect both sustainability and product performance, without the need to compromise. That’s why P&G says it is committing to using its voice, reach, innovation and expertise – and that of its brands – to make sustainability irresistible for all.
P&G is taking a number of steps to help close the sustainability intention-to-action gap – including releasing a new film, It’s Our Home, which is available at P&G Good Everyday.

According to P&G, the launch of It’s Our Home shines a spotlight on the importance of consumer use of products in the home as an opportunity to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. In fact, consumer use of products is P&G’s largest opportunity to help reduce emissions and remains a key focus for company and brand efforts to address climate change. P&G’s Tide brand recently announced a goal for three out of four loads of laundry in the US and Canada to be washed in cold water by 2030 – which has the potential to deliver a cumulative 27 million metric ton reduction in greenhouse gas emissions over the decade.

P&G’s commitments go well beyond the consumer use phase and include its 2030 goals to reduce manufacturing emissions by 50%, purchase 100% renewable electricity, improve finished product transportation emissions efficiency by 50%, make 100% of packaging recyclable or reusable, and reduce virgin petroleum plastic packaging by 50%. Later this year, P&G will issue a climate transition action plan outlining the company’s plans toward the long-term objective of net zero emissions for scope 1, 2, and elements of scope 3 emissions.

“The challenges facing our environment impact us all, but together, we can all be a part of the solution,” said Virginie Helias, P&G chief sustainability officer. “P&G has a unique responsibility to use our scale and influence to help build a better tomorrow, which we are doing through our 2030 goals including partnering with others to combat some of the most complex issues we face. I am delighted to launch ‘It’s Our Home’ to show that our brands can enable small actions at home that collectively will have a big impact, fostering a sustainable, regenerative lifestyle for all.”