P&G aims to reduce the environmental impact of its manufacturing plants and distribution centres in two major ways. The first is to reduce the amount of energy they consume overall. The second is to look at alternative energy supplies with which to power them.

Overall, this approach has allowed P&G's plants to become 96 per cent eco-efficient, with a reduction in carbon dioxide emissions of 65 per cent since 1990. Some of the things P&G has done are:

• In the Crailsheim manufacturing centre in Germany, instead of installing new boilers P&G has put in a combined heat-and-power plant that uses the heat from electricity generation to warm up the building, saving 2,900 tonnes of carbon dioxide a year. This technology has also been used in the Pomezia plant.
• In Amiens (France), P&G has built a new distribution centre equipped with some of the most modern energy-saving technologies. To find out more, click here.
• In the United Kingdom P&G is looking into the purchase of electricity from renewable sources and is actively investigating the installation of a wind turbine to supply up to five per cent of the energy needed by the London distribution centre and offices.
• Four plants in Europe upgraded their powder-drying process by adopting the latest technology in duct burner systems, significantly reducing natural gas consumption and decreasing carbon dioxide emissions by 4,550 tonnes a year.
• The Household Care plant in Worms, Germany, is saving energy by using and re-using condensate in production processes. Before, the condensate was discharged via a cooling tower into the sewer system. Now it is used in place of hot water to produce liquid dyes.
• In Western European plants P&G has created a Connect and Save Energy task force to identify potential power savings. It expects to be able to shave 10 per cent off energy requirements in the next 12 to 18 months.

Click on the links below to find out more about what P&G is doing in its plants:

Amiens, France
Pomezia, Italy

BACK