Small Actions at Home Can Make a Difference | Good Everyday

Most people want to protect the planet, but they’re not always sure where to start, according to a new study in Canada. by P&G.

In celebration of Earth Week, and as part of our commitment to help make sustainable choices easier for the 5 billion consumers we serve every day, we are launching a new campaign, including the short film “It’s Our Home,” to share how small actions at home can make a world of difference for the planet.

According to our study,¹ 71% of people want to do more to be sustainable at home and nearly 76% of parents are inspired by their children to do so. But fewer than 4 people out of 10 make environmentally conscious choices at home as often as they’d like. For most people, “not knowing how” is the biggest barrier to acting sustainably.

Closing the gap between intention and action and unlocking change at home has the potential to positively impact the planet by reducing greenhouse gas emissions, electricity, water use and more. Among the 28 sectors of global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, “homes” are in the top three, and as big as road transportation.²

This means the small changes we make — such as using cold water for laundry, taking shorter showers or turning off the tap while brushing our teeth or shaving, and recycling more — can make a big impact.

"Meaningful change starts at home, and P&G brands have a big role to play — by helping consumers live more sustainably with no trade-offs in the superior performance they expect from our products,” said David Taylor, P&G Chairman of the Board, President and Chief Executive Officer. “P&G and our brands will continue to reduce our impact and help people be more sustainable at home to protect our planet — our shared home —for generations to come.”

In the same survey, nearly 75% of consumers said they expect the brands they buy to help them said they expect the brands they buy to help them live a more environmentally conscious lifestyle. Previous research has shown that sustainable product choices don’t matter if people don’t choose them, and consumers expect both sustainability and product performance, without the need to compromise. That’s why we are committing to using our voice, reach, innovation and expertise — and that of our brands — to make sustainability irresistible for all.

P&G brands are also stepping up consumer communication about sustainability. And, through product formulation and packaging that uses less, refills easily or recycles more, they’re helping families make sustainable choices at home:

The launch of It’s Our Home shines a spotlight on the importance of consumer use of products in the home as an opportunity to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. In fact, consumer use of products is P&G’s largest opportunity to help reduce emissions and remains a key focus for company and brand efforts to address climate change. P&G’s Tide brand recently announced a goal for three out of four loads of laundry in the US and Canada to be washed in cold water by 2030 – which has the potential to deliver a cumulative 27 million metric ton reduction in greenhouse gas emissions over the decade.

P&G’s commitments go well beyond the consumer use phase and include its 2030 goals to reduce manufacturing emissions by 50%, purchase 100% renewable electricity, improve finished product transportation emissions efficiency by 50%, make 100% of packaging recyclable or reusable, and reduce virgin petroleum plastic packaging by 50%. Later this year, P&G will issue a climate transition action plan outlining the company’s plans toward the long-term objective of net zero emissions for scope 1, 2, and elements of scope 3 emissions.

“The challenges facing our environment impact us all, but together, we can all be a part of the solution,” said Virginie Helias, P&G Chief Sustainability Officer. “P&G has a unique responsibility to use our scale and influence to help build a better tomorrow, which we are doing through our 2030 goals, including partnering with others to combat some of the most complex issues we face. I am delighted to launch ‘It’s Our Home’ to show that our brands can enable small actions at home that collectively will have a big impact, fostering a sustainable, regenerative lifestyle for all.”

Environmental sustainability has been embedded in how we do business for decades. Over the past 10 years we have reduced our GHG emissions by 50%, reached zero manufacturing waste to landfill across all sites globally and doubled the use of recycled resin in our plastic packaging. For more about P&G’s commitments and progress, read P&G’s 2020 Citizenship Report.