Reckitt Benckiser cuts CO2 emissions by 11%
Reckitt Benckiser (RB), which owns the Durex, Harpic and Cillit Bang brands has cut CO2 emissions by 11% in just two years, according to its latest sustainability report.
Bart Becht, the FMCG company’s CEO who will retire in September, says that the firm is halfway to achieving its target to reduce CO2 by 20% by 2020 just two years after setting the goal.
It has also reduced its water use by 22% per unit of production and made all its household product packaging from non-PVC which means it is more widely recyclable and better for the environment.
The company also claims to have saved 125,000 children’s lives through its partnership with charity Save the Children.
The FMCG company has split its sustainability agenda into four areas; environment, marketplace, workplace and community, in its bid to make environmental sustainability and CSR a core part of how it does business rather than an add on.
In its second annual sustainability report, RB says : “We believe that we can conduct our business in ways that reduce our overall impact on the environment, while managing our business in a socially and ethically responsible manner. Identifying sustainability impacts is complex.
“The challenge is to grow our business and develop new, innovative products – maximising our positive impacts – while reducing the environmental impacts of our business across the complete lifecycle of our products and managing our business in a responsible and ethical manner.”
