3.2) By 2030, end preventable deaths of newborns and children under 5 years of age, with all countries aiming to reduce neonatal mortality to at least as low as 12 per 1,000 live births and under-5 mortality to at least as low as 25 per 1,000 live births
The P&G Pampers brand - as part of its commitment to happy, healthy development of babies – created the Pampers Mobile Clinic Program, providing free basic health checks, health talks and products to mothers and their babies. Nearly 2 million mothers and children in Nigeria, Kenya, Uganda and Pakistan have been reached in over 10 years of operations. Also, the Pampers UNICEF vaccine program marked another year of working to eliminate neonatal tetanus, a preventable disease that claims the life of 58,000 babies in developing countries each year. Through this partnership since 2006, Pampers has helped eliminate maternal and neonatal tetanus (MNT) in 24 countries. In March 2019, one more country — Chad — has eliminated this disease. These efforts have resulted in an estimated 880,000 newborn lives saved since 2006 with over 300 million vaccines eliminating MNT.
3.4) By 2030, reduce by one third premature mortality from non-communicable diseases through prevention and treatment and promote mental health and well-being
The P&G Safeguard Clean Hands Healthy Kids Campaign teaches hygiene to prevent childhood illness, absenteeism and even death. The program was launched in response to global research that soap and water washing can prevent nearly 4 million children a year from dying before their 5th birthday. Since initially launching in China, the program has expanded to also reach schools across, the Philippines, Pakistan and Mexico, reaching 4.5 million students a year. In many locations, the brand has helped build hand-washing and sanitation stations for children. Since 2007, Safeguard’s hand-washing education program has helped 72 million children to develop healthy hand-washing habits.
3.7) By 2030, ensure universal access to sexual and reproductive health care services, including for family planning, information and education, and the integration of reproductive health into national strategies and programs
Always started their global Puberty & Confidence Education program over 35 years ago in an effort to prioritize period education. The program has helped more than 18 million people across more than 75 countries navigate puberty with confidence by providing girls, teachers and parents with free educational resources and samples. The goal is to not only ensure that students are taught the biological facts, but also that they learn how to cope with the emotional changes they endure, providing support to students as they work to build their confidence, influence and voice. The program has helped many young girls. According to Global Citizen, in sub-Saharan Africa, 92% of girls who participated in the Always program agreed that their self-confidence increased because of what they learned about their bodies and how to manage their periods.
GOAL 4: ensure education
4.1) By 2030, ensure that all girls and boys complete free, equitable and quality primary and secondary education leading to relevant and effective learning outcomes
In 1996, Procter & Gamble founded Project Hope, a program that has built and renovated more than 200 schools in 28 Chinese provinces, benefiting children living in rural or underdeveloped China. P&G China continues its three-year corporate social responsibility plan which includes increased access to performing arts for P&G Hope School students.
For the past 15 years, P&G has closely cooperated with the China Youth Development Foundation (CYDF) to help children in poverty-stricken rural areas gain access to better education. By March 2011, P&G had cumulatively donated RMB 61 million (equivalent to more than 8.9 million USD) to Project Hope, including RMB 12.26 million (1.79 million USD) in donations from the P&G Global Public Welfare Fund. The Hope School program has also benefited from vigorous support of the local governments, including through RMB 40 million (5.8 million USD) of matched educational funds from the local governments, as well as from other groups, organizations and individuals.
Of the 200 Hope Schools built by P&G, 35 were built together with their partners, and 16 were built together with their employees, while 16 P&G brands participated in the co-sponsoring of P&G Hope Schools, including Safeguard, Whisper and Tide. From 1996 to 2009, more than 325 million Chinese consumers participated in the P&G Hope School themed sales campaign jointly organized by P&G and its business partners. More than 1,500 P&G Greater China employees acted as "tutors" and actively participated in the voluntary activities of P&G Hope Schools.
4.5) By 2030, eliminate gender disparities in education and ensure equal access to all levels of education and vocational training for the vulnerable, including persons with disabilities, indigenous peoples, and children in vulnerable situations
The P&G Always brand has been helping girls around the world overcome period-related barriers to their education. This includes providing access to period products and helping break the stigma that surrounds periods. Puberty can be a difficult and confusing time when girls’ confidence may plummet, with the onset of menstruation marking the lowest moment for many girls. This decrease in confidence is so much worse for girls that lack access to period protection, which is often referred to as “period poverty”. Always realized that period poverty can force girls to miss out on important confidence-building experiences in the classroom or in after-school activities. Believing that these confidence-building experiences should be something to look forward to, and not something a girl loses out on because she doesn’t have access to period products , Always launched the global #EndPeriodPoverty campaign, which has donated more than 90 million period products to help girls stay in school.
GOAL 5: achieve gender equality
5.6) Ensure universal access to sexual and reproductive health and reproductive rights as agreed in accordance with the Programme of Action of the ICPD and the Beijing Platform for Action and the outcome documents of their review conferences
The P&G Always brand has provided puberty education to over 12 million through its Protecting Futures Program, which provides girls age 12-14 with education on good personal hygiene, puberty, menstruation and personal care. Started in 2006, the program is aimed at helping girls attend classes during their periods and thus stay in school. The program has expanded from Africa to the Middle East, successfully impacting 20 countries.
Through the Protecting Futures program, over 225, 000 sanitary pads via the UNHCR and over 30 million single to 4 pack pad samples have been distributed. P&G reached over 353 million people with the Protecting Futures message. Through P&G's family of brands such as Always, Tampax, Children's Safe Drinking Water and Safeguard, they have built and/or rehabilitated a total of 501 bathrooms/latrines and disposable pits. Over 8 million dollars has been put towards program funding.
GOAL 6: ensure water and sanitation
6.1) By 2030, achieve universal and equitable access to safe and affordable drinking water for all
P&G’s not-for-profit Children’s Safe Drinking Water Program (CSDW) works with a network of 150 partners to improve the health of children in developing countries by providing them with clean drinking water. P&G is committed to fighting the clean water crisis in partnership with NGOs, governments, companies and consumers, with the goal of delivering 25 billion liters of clean drinking water by 2025. Since 2004, P&G has provided more than 16 billion liters of clean water to people in need around the world, surpassing their goal of providing 17 billion liters of clean water by 2020. The program provides an easy-to-use water purification packet invented by P&G scientists that can clean 10 liters of water in just 30 minutes.
Through initiatives like CSDW, P&G has reached its goal of providing one billion people with access to water-efficient products by 2020. Moreover, P&G has reduced water-use in manufacturing facilities by 27% per unit of production with conservation efforts focused on facilities located in water-stressed regions.
GOAL 7: ensure energy for all
7.1) By 2030, ensure universal access to affordable, reliable, and modern energy services
P&G achieved its significant 2020 sustainability goal of purchasing 100% renewable electricity in the U.S., Canada and Europe. These three markets represent more than 70% of P&G’s purchased electricity. This accomplishment is due to the company’s wind farm in Tyler Bluff, Texas, which offsets 100% of the electricity needed for P&G’s Fabric and Home Care facilities in the U.S. and Canada, as well as the company’s onsite combined heat and power biomass facility in Albany, Georgia, which provides 100% of the Bounty and Charmin steam requirements.
In another effort, P&G aims to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 50% by 2030. The company has already reduced greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) by 25% since 2010. Additionally, the corporation has reached their goal of ensuring their plants are powered by 30% renewable energy, including their Albany Georgia bio-mass facility.
GOAL 8: promote economic growth & decent work
8.2: Achieve higher levels of productivity of economies through diversification, technological upgrading and innovation, including through a focus on high value added and labor-intensive sectors
The P&G Smallholders Program is a multi-year commitment by P&G as part of its Ambition 2030 environmental sustainability commitment. This Program allows independent smallholders in P&G’s Malaysian supply chain to improve sustainability practices by increasing yields from existing lands. Through P&G Center for Sustainable Small-Owners, a Center of Excellence under the Malaysia Institute for Supply Chain Innovation, the Program has trained 1263 smallholders in Johor on sustainability management, good agricultural practices and RSPO (Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil) Certification. The Program will expand to cover a footprint of 10,000 independent smallholders over the next 5 years until 2025.
GOAL 10: reduce inequality
10.2) By 2030, empower and promote the social, economic and political inclusion of all irrespective of age, sex, disability, race, ethnicity, origin, religion or economic or other status
Since 1976, P&G’s Supplier Diversity program in the United States has created economic opportunities for underrepresented businesses such as minority-owned, women-owned, LGBT+, veterans and people with disabilities. The program has since expanded globally, and the company has partnered with organizations like UN Women and WeConnect to further ensure women entrepreneurs in all regions are getting access to training, support and business opportunities. Since 2007, P&G spends more than $2 billion annually to help minority-owned businesses in the US. Due to the company’s generous monetary contributions, P&G is a member of the Billion Dollar Roundtable, a forum of companies spending more than $1 billion annually with diverse suppliers.
To learn more about the program and see how P&G defines a diverse supplier, click here.
GOAL 12: ensure sustainable consumption & production
12.5) By 2030, substantially reduce waste generation through prevention, reduction, recycling, and reuse
P&G has achieved its goal of 100% zero manufacturing waste to landfill (ZMWTL) sites by 2020. . As of 2019, 92% of P&G’s production sites qualified as ZMWTL. One example of innovative thinking to drive progress is the reuse of scrap absorbent materials from P&G’s Feminine Care plant in Belleville, Canada. One of P&G’s external partners blends P&G's high-tech absorbents with other raw materials that make up emergency spill containment and control products. In 2014, the plant was called upon to help provide additional material above and beyond their typical supply to help the local community with emergency response and oil cleanup after the Lac-Megantic train disaster.
P&G has reached their goal of ensuring 90% of product packaging is recyclable, with88% of their product packaging currently being recyclable. Ultimately, Procter & Gamble plans to implement 100% recyclable or reusable packaging by 2030. Moreover, the enterprise has the goal of cutting the use of virgin petroleum plastic in packaging by 50% by 2030. Virgin petroleum, meaning not previously used by humans, is a type of crude oil that has gone through the refining process, is the most commonly used oil and is found within a wide spectrum of lubricant products on the market. Once it’s used, it can go through further refinement to be considered recycled. Finally, P&G reported that 99.5% of its paper packaging contains recycled or third-party-certified virgin content.
GOAL 13: COMBAT CLIMATE CHANGE
13.3) Improve education, awareness-raising and human and institutional capacity on climate change mitigation, adaptation, impact reduction and early warning
Getting consumers to wash their clothes in low temperatures and use high-efficiency machine cycles represents a significant opportunity to reduce energy consumption and associated greenhouse gas emissions. In 2010, P&G set a goal to turn 70% of all machine wash loads into high-efficiency cycles by 2020. P&G was able to reach this goal one year ahead of schedule.
P&G has also sought to influence the entire laundry ecosystem by continuing to partner with washing machine manufacturers on three key areas: 1) placing information about the benefits of cold-water washing on new washing machines reaching millions of consumers, 2) encouraging the use of quick cycles where time saving is a great consumer motivator to switch to this cycle and 3) designing detergents that perform at their best in the new high-efficiency machines. More than six million informational packets about the benefits of quick and cold-water washing cycles have been distributed globally to new machine purchasers.
GOAL 14: Conserve oceans
14.1: By 2025, prevent and significantly reduce marine pollution of all kinds, particularly from land-based activities, including marine debris and nutrient pollution
Procter & Gamble is committed to help reduce the flow of plastic into our oceans. P&G has joined forces with organizations like The Ocean Conservancy's Trash Free Seas Alliance, The Ocean Project, The Recycling Partnership, The Circular Plastics Alliance and others to help people treat plastic waste as a resource rather than a throw away.
In addition, P&G CEO, David Taylor, has been named chairman of the Alliance to End Plastic Waste, an international organization of 30 companies that have committed more than $1 billion to eliminate pollution in the ocean and elsewhere. The association focuses on bringing together businesses, governments and civil society to help end plastic waste.
Some of Alliance to End Plastic Waste’s projects include:
Partnering with cities to design waste management systems in large urban areas where infrastructure is lacking, especially those along rivers
Developing an open source, science-based global information project to support waste management projects with data collection, metrics, standards and methodologies to help governments, companies and investors focus on and accelerate actions to halt plastic waste
Collaborating with intergovernmental organizations such as the United Nations to conduct joint training for government officials and community-based leaders to help pursue solutions
Supporting Renew Oceans to aid localized investment and engagement. The program is designed to capture plastic waste before it reaches the ocean from the 10 major rivers shown to carry the vast majority of waste to the sea.
15.2) By 2020, promote the implementation of sustainable management of all types of forests, halt deforestation, restore degraded forests, and substantially increase afforestation and reforestation globally
P&G has used its procurement practices to ensure the sustainability of the world’s forest resources. As part of the Consumer Goods Forum, P&G has committed to help achieve zero net deforestation by 2020 through three strategic commodities where sourcing practices can have the greatest impact on ensuring responsible use of the world’s forest resources: wood pulp for tissue and absorbent hygiene products, wood pulp used in paper packaging and palm oil for laundry and beauty products. As of 2019, P&G now has 100% of their virgin wood fiber used in tissue/ towel and absorbent hygiene products third-party certified. Additionally, 99% of the volume of paper packaging reported by P&G’s suppliers was either recycled (85%) or third party-certified virgin content. For palm oil, P&G continues to advance progress in their three-pillar strategy: supplier management, smallholder program and industry influence. Currently, the company has traced over 98% of their supply chains to Palm Oil Mills, maintained 100% Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) certification for palm oil/ palm oil derivatives and remains on track to purchase 100% of their palm oil derivatives as RSPO Segregated (SG) by the end of 2020.