Sustainability and the Environment

From how we manufacture products and bring them to market to the way in which consumers use them, reducing our environmental footprint is a key part of our strategy.

We have active programmes to measure and disclose data in respect of our environmental performance across key areas of focus. Our main operating sites are certified to ISO 14001, demonstrating strict compliance with local regulations and Group standards. The continuous improvement programme in our factories aligns with ISO14001 and has been instrumental in driving our performance in reducing water use, carbon emissions and landfill waste. We also focus on plastic consumption and sustainable sourcing of palm oil.

Read more about our approach to each area below, and see our Annual Report for our latest performance data.

Carbon

All of our factories and locations incorporate energy reduction objectives into their operational plans. Mapping and identifying energy intensive processes and implementing reduction projects is a central part of our continuous improvement programme. Reducing the amount of energy we use reduces carbon emissions, but also reduces our running costs.

We have developed a number of energy reduction programmes and continue to make excellent progress in reducing our energy use and carbon emissions.

For over ten years, we have been a participant in the Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP), a not-for-profit organisation which provides an independent global system for companies to measure their environmental impact. You can read our submission here.

Plastics

One of the most meaningful ways that we can contribute to the environment is by reducing the impact of the packaging materials that we use. In 2018, we set out our Plastic Promise in which we committed by 2025 to reduce the amount of plastic that we use per kg of product by 25%, move to 100% reusable, recyclable or compostable plastics and to increase our usage of PCR to 30% of total plastics use.

We have had an active programme that is delivering light-weighting of bottles, has moved significant volumes of Carex sales from bottles to refills, is increasing PCR content and is focusing on the removal or replacement of difficult to recycle components.

However, in line with our work towards B Corp certification, we are taking the opportunity to fully review our plastics commitments and creating a new plastics strategy in the near future.

Palm Oil

You can find out more about our Palm Oil Promise here.

Waste

We aim to reduce the amount of solid waste sent to landfill year-on-year. All of our factories and locations have waste reduction programmes as part of their operational plans.  The way we do this is to study and map our landfill waste and then use a standard waste hierarchy tool to identify improvement actions. Actions to reduce waste are implemented via our continuous improvement programme.

Water

The Group operates in a number of environments which experience water scarcity. Water is also an important component of many of our products and manufacturing processes. Water conservation has therefore been a key environmental focus for the Group for some years and we have reduced our consumption by millions of tonnes over that period. 

Water reduction is driven as part of our continuous improvement programme. Water reduction objectives are incorporated into the operational plans of every factory in the Group. Improvements are principally achieved through detailed mapping of water usage and focused improvements in equipment and methods.