Almost a year ago, P&G announced a strategy to help build a water positive future that includes reducing water in our operations, restoring water in 18 water-stressed areas around the world for people and nature and responding to water challenges through innovation and partnerships.
We added two new 2030 goals to our comprehensive program:
- Making of our products: restore more water than is consumed1 at P&G manufacturing sites located in 18 water-stressed areas around the world.
- Use of our products: restore more water than is consumed2 when using P&G products in the high water-stressed metropolitan areas of Los Angeles and Mexico City — recognized as a first-of-its-kind commitment.
To set these goals and the methodology behind them, we worked closely with the World Resources Institute (WRI) Water Program to ensure they align with the best science and emerging target-setting practices.
We learned that much of the water used when making our products returns to the local basin, while the rest evaporates or is incorporated as a product ingredient. We knew we wanted to consider water use and consumption when people use our products, as it accounts for the majority of P&G’s overall water footprint. We developed a new method to estimate the annual water consumed2 when people use our products, and we found that the metropolitan areas of Los Angeles and Mexico City account for over half of the water consumed during the use of P&G products. The details of the novel method used to derive our goal can be found HERE.
We will work to achieve these goals by partnering with experts to support water restoration projects that improve, better manage or protect freshwater resources.
These projects will provide a range of solutions to protect ecosystems, replenish groundwater supplies, reduce the amount of water diverted from essential bodies of water and improve water quality for the community and the wildlife that depends on them.
While there is no simple solution for the world’s water crisis, we are determined to address shared water challenges within 18 water-stressed areas around the world where we operate because we know it is where we can make the biggest difference. Our strategy will continue to evolve alongside our understanding of all the complex issues facing the world’s water resources. We will also continue to support a wide range of partners to amplify positive impact and accelerate simple solutions to help build a water positive future for all.
1 Water that evaporates during the manufacturing of our products or is incorporated into the finished product manufactured at these sites.
2 Water from household leaks and evaporation during the use of our products.
For more information and ongoing updates about our commitments and progress, please take a look the following stories:
