As part of its new sustainability agenda, consumer products giant Procter & Gamble (P&G, Cincinnati, Ohio / USA; www.pg.com) has announced that in future all packaging will be made from renewable or recyclable materials and that it will eliminate all petroleum-based virgin plastics. The “2010 Sustainability Overview” outlines ambitious plans that are likely to have a far-reaching impact on the plastics and packaging industries. Included are targets for the elimination of waste, use of renewable energies and a reduction in truck transportation.

One of the first major steps P&G will take is the elimination of all PVC packaging within two years, according to vice president of global sustainability, Len Sauers. PVC currently accounts for 1.5% of the company’s plastics consumption since P&G has been working to reduce its usage since the early 1990s. Using solely renewable or recycled materials is a longer-term vision, but one giant step in this direction occurred in August 2010 when the company announced that it is planning to use sugar cane-based plastics for packaging of its "Pantene Pro-V", "Covergirl" and "Max Factor" beauty brands from next year. A 25% reduction in the use of petroleum-based products by replacing them with sustainably-sourced renewable materials is a target for 2020. Other goals include reducing company waste to less than half of one per cent, a 20% reduction in truck transportation and further cuts in packaging.

P&G is also planning to switch all its manufacturing plants to 100% renewable energy. The company currently uses solar energy at facilities in Germany, Italy and the US and is assessing additional opportunities globally. A wind turbine is being installed at a site in the Netherlands and geothermal electricity generation is being evaluated in the US. Multiple co-generation plants are located in Italy, Mexico and the US, with another under construction in Italy.

According to chairman, president and CEO Bob McDonald, the sustainability goals will not be achieved in 10 years, or perhaps even 40 years. “What is important,” he said, “is that we don’t treat environmental sustainability as different from our base business.” However, he expects the sustainability initiative to increase the company’s customer base to 5 bn by 2015.