Procter and Gamble goes "green" in US

CINCINNATI: Procter & Gamble, the consumer goods giant, is set to launch its biggest ever "green" marketing effort in the US next year, as it seeks to tap into the growing emphasis being placed by consumers on issues relating to the environment.

As previously reported <http://www.warc.com/ArticleCenter/Default.asp?CType=N&NID=WORDSEARCH25434&Tab=A> , Peter White, P&G's director for global sustainability, has described corporate social responsibility as a "two-way conversation enabling you to get vital feedback on business performance”, and as something that “can shape the future success of your company."

In 2008, the world's biggest advertiser launched an initiative, in partnership with UNICEF, where it paid for tetanus vaccinations for children in some of the world's poorest nations when consumers in America and Western Europe bought packs of its Pampersdiaper brand.

It has also established a variety of eco-friendly communications platforms in Canada and the UK, including the "Turn to 30" campaign for Ariel, its fabric care brand, in the latter of these two markets.

Now, the Cincinnati-based firm is adopting a similar approach in its home country, with the aim of attracting 30 million households to buy products with more "green" credentials by the end of 2010.

These include a new variant of Pampers that are 20% thinner than at present, thus reducing the footprint linked to both the manufacture of the brand and the disposal of used nappies.

It has also pledged to deliver "conservation education" to some 50 million US households, such as through providing information on how to save water and energy, and cut back on waste.

Alongside its domestic ambitions, P&G has stated that it will provide four billion litres of clean drinking water to developing nations by 2012.

These proposals build on the FMCG titan's earlier commitment to invest $50 billion (€34.1bn; £31.5bn) in making and promoting "sustainable innovation products".

Glenn Williams, a P&G spokesman, said "we are targeting the mainstream consumer – rather than the 'environmental' consumer – who does not want to give up on the brands that they like, but wants to use them in a sustainable way."

Such a move has assumed greater importance as the number of brands boasting a similar positioning has increased in some of Procter & Gamble's main areas of operation.

These include Arm & Hammer's Essentials, SC Johnson's Nature's Source and Clorox's Green Works, all cleaning ranges, as well as "pure and natural" Huggies, produced by Kimberly-Clark.

General Electric is another major corporation that has featured prominently in this space, primarily via its Ecomagination programme.

The energy company argues the range of services it provides under this banner are helping to “solve the world's biggest environmental challenges while driving profitable growth for GE and its customers."

Data sourced from Financial Times; additional content by WARC staff, 29 September 2009