Sustainable Innovations

Products with Environmental Improvements

We innovate to incorporate sustainability criteria into our products in a
number of ways, from formulation to packaging. In doing so, we find ways to
deliver significant sustainability improvement without asking the consumer
to make trade-offs in performance or value.

Here are just a few examples:

Crest Whitestrips

Since their introduction in 2001, Crest Whitestrips have become the best-selling tooth-whitening product in the U.S. Their upper and lower strips initially came in separate foil pouches. But in 2007, we combined them into a single pouch, reducing the amount of material used by 190 tons per year. This change also made the assembly line more efficient and increased consumer satisfaction

Pampers

Over the past two decades, Pampers has consistently focused on developing materials and designs that use fewer resources while delivering a high-performing product. In 2009, P&G developed a new innovation called Airfelt-free, which allowed all fluff pulp to be removed from the core of the Cruisers/ActiveFit diaper. In 2010, changes to the packaging of this product led to more efficient distribution, allowing us to take hundreds of trucks off the road.

North America Laundry Compaction

In 2007, we introduced compacted liquid versions of our North America laundry brands—Tide, Gain, Cheer, ERA and Dreft. This innovation has been the largest contributor to the Company’s $50 billion commitment to SIPs. Due to improvements in the manufacturing of these compact detergents, sustainability benefits per unit of production include a 20% reduction in CO2 emissions, 15% less solid waste production, 20% reduction in energy consumption, and 15% reduction in water consumption.

Pantene Nature Fusion

The introduction of plant-based materials reduced the use of non-renewable resources. An innovative material derived from sugarcane debuted in the Pantene Pro-V Nature Fusion collection in Western Europe. Plant-based plastic consumes over 70% less fossil fuels than petroleum-based plastic.

Gillette Fusion ProGlide

By partnering with a molded fiber supplier, we developed a breakthrough package for the Fusion ProGlide. This resulted in a 57% reduction in plastic, 20% reduction in gross weight and a 100% removal of Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC).

Ariel Excel Gel

The consumer-inspired innovation behind Ariel Excel Gel reduces the product’s environmental impact throughout the life cycle. Its manufacturing process saves energy and water, it uses less packaging, and half the trucks are needed to transport it. In addition, the ability to do laundry at a lower temperature helps consumers save energy themselves.

Charmin MegaRoll

When Charmin bath tissue consumers expressed a desire to change the roll less often, we created Charmin MegaRoll, which features four times as many sheets per roll than a regular roll of Charmin. Along with meeting consumer needs, the product requires the use and disposal of fewer cardboard cores, and it requires less energy to transport.

Olay Packaging

By moving from bulky plastic “clam shells” to trapped blister-based designs, Olay reduced millions of pounds of plastic packaging. At the same time, the new packaging is now much easier for consumers to open at home.