Reckitt Benckiser (RB), leading in household, health and personal care, has announced announced that over 3 million tonnes of carbon dioxide (CO2) has been avoided last year by a 11% reduction per unit dose in the carbon impact across its products’ lifecycle – the same impact as taking nearly 1 million cars off the road.
With this the company has achieved half of its goal to reduce its carbon footprint by reduction target 2020 goal in the second year. RB’s 'Carbon 20' programme aims to reduce its products’ impact on climate change by 20% by 2020. Launched in 2007, the approach goes beyond targeting energy reduction in factories and travel to the carbon emissions embedded in raw and packaging materials from suppliers and in consumers’ use and disposal of the company’s products.
The “Carbon 20″ program takes a cradle-to-grave approach, across the entire product life cycle, measuring not only the carbon impact of raw and packaging materials, manufacturing, logistics and distribution, but also consumer use and disposal of products.
The major contributors to the company’s carbon emissions are energy consumed or embedded in the following elements of the supply and consumption chain:
- Consumer use of the products, particularly where this involves using machines such as dishwashers or washing machines (50-70%) - Raw and packaging materials (30-40%) - Product and packaging disposal/recycling (3-7%) - Product manufacturing (2-6%) - Retailer operations (2-6%) - Logistics and distribution of products to retailers (1-5%)
RB has established an independently assured methodology to analyse the total lifecycle of its products targeting activities both within its own supply chain and manufacturing as well as working with consumer behaviour.
Bart Becht, Chief Executive Officer, RB, said, “Focussing on climate change is right for our business, right for our industry, and right for society. I’m pleased that Reckitt Benckiser is on track to exceed them. We still have a lot to do and we will not slow in our drive to make progress.”
