We define innovation broadly, looking
for sustainability opportunities at every
touch-point along the path of our products.
This definition encompasses raw materials, formulation, manufacturing,
customization, logistics, customers, and consumers. In fact, we find that
a big innovation in one part of the path often sparks innovations in other
areas. For example, when we moved our line of liquid laundry detergents in
North America to a 2x concentration, we delivered significant environmental
improvements in water, energy, and CO2 usage as a result of the product /
packaging changes and a significant reduction in distribution miles.
In addition, we innovated in our customer interface to reduce solid waste.
We invest in innovation to improve the
environmental profile of our operations
and products.
In addition to investing in product development of more sustainable
products, we have systematized the process of sustainably designing and
building new facilities. In Box Elder, Utah, we recently broke ground on
a state-of-the art manufacturing facility that will deliver improvements in
energy, water, solid waste and indoor environmental quality.
We manage innovation with discipline,
using science-based, rigorous tools such
as life cycle assessment (LCA).
These tools aid in identifying sustainability opportunities for our products,
from discovery through disposal to potential reuse. LCA shows that
consumers use a vast amount of energy to heat water for laundry.
We optimized Ariel laundry detergent to have excellent cleaning
performance in cold water. We then partnered with several external
thought leaders to educate consumers to “Turn to 30°C” to save energy,
and we ar ...