Consumer products giant Procter & Gamble (P&G, Cincinnati, Ohio / USA; www.pg.com) has said that that 45 of its facilities have now achieved zero manufacturing waste to landfill, marking a major step towards the company’s long-term aim of sending zero manufacturing and consumer waste to landfills. Over the past five years, P&G’s work to utilise its waste streams has created over USD1 bn in value for the company, it said.

Bob McDonald, P&G president, CEO and chairman of the board said, “We have a vision for the future, where plants are powered by renewable energy, products are made from recycled and renewable materials and resources are conserved, with no waste going to landfill. Changing the way we see waste as a company has brought us one step closer to this goal at 45 sites worldwide, where all of our manufacturing waste is recycled, repurposed or converted into energy.”

The company achieved its first zero manufacturing waste to landfill site in Budapest in 2007 and is now working towards zero consumer and manufacturing waste worldwide. Through quality assurance, packaging reduction, compaction and recycling efforts, the company claims that 99% of all materials entering its plants leaves as finished product or is recycled, reused or converted to energy.