Greentech Lead America: Reckitt Benckiser (RB) has unveiled its innovative water footprint measurement approach and how it helps hundreds of thousands of people to improve their health and hygiene as part of better business, its new sustainability strategy.
RB’s sustainability report highlights the company’s environmental program and social contribution.
“Water is an increasingly critical resource around the world and it is vital to our consumers and our business,” said Rakesh Kapoor, CEO, RB. “Our innovative approach to reducing our water impact demonstrates how our sustainability strategy aligns with the emphasis in our business strategy on health and hygiene and emerging markets.”
As part of its sustainability strategy, RB has three headline targets for 2020: 1/3 net revenue from more sustainable products, 1/3 reduction in water impact across the product lifecycle, 1/3 further reduction in carbon footprint across the product lifecycle.
RB’s partnership with Save the Children also has the ambition to stop diarrhea from being the world’s biggest killer of children under five by 2020. RB’s strategic priorities are health and hygiene behavior and water use.
In 2012, RB commissioned innovative research to identify water conservation priorities – taking account of water scarcity as well as actual water usage. Focusing on scarcity means that RB needs to concentrate on the consumer use of RB’s products, especially hand washing, even though raw materials account for most water use.
India is the top priority for RB because it is the country with the biggest impact based on water use, scarcity and the size of RB’s business there.
The Lysol Power & Free range – which delivers a powerful clean without leaving behind any harsh chemical residue – exceeded launch targets in the U.S. by 75 percent in revenue over the first six months.
The products, inspired by Lysol’s Mission for Health, are an example of innovations that will help meet RB’s net revenue from more sustainable innovations target. Hydrogen peroxide, the powerful germ kill ingredient, breaks down into just water and oxygen and also has 1/3 less carbon footprint than the previous active ingredient.
Lysol Touch of Foam is an example of innovation that will help meet RB’s water targets. It is designed so consumers only need to run water to rinse their hands, not to create the lather, saving about 15 percent of water compared with conventional hand-wash products.
RB continues to target reductions in carbon emissions across the product lifecycle, following RB’s success in achieving the 2020 target to cut emissions per dose by 20 percent eight years early. In 2012, RB reduced emissions per dose by a further 5 percent bringing the total to 25 percent since 2007.
The Carbon Disclosure Project recognized RB’s commitment, naming RB as one of only 33 companies worldwide to be listed in the Global 500 Carbon Performance Leadership Index.
RB extended the tree planting program that makes RB’s manufacturing effectively carbon neutral. The company planted 371,000 trees in 2012, bringing the total since RB began in 2006 to almost six million, offsetting 1.85 million ton of carbon dioxide so far.
Eight RB sites sent no manufacturing waste to landfill – 72 percent of total waste is now diverted from landfill.