How you can help save the world (without really trying)
We all pretty much follow a set routine every day and go on autopilot for most of our activities like brushing our teeth and taking a bath. Not much thought and analysis goes into lathering shampoo into our hair and washing the suds off of our faces. But the truth is, with these mundane daily activities, we’ve started to change the world we live in and have made a choice to be active members in the global effort to save the planet. How have we all unconsciously joined this savior bandwagon, you ask?
The secret service
“P&G has been making efforts to be a more eco-friendly company for a very long time, without really making all these efforts public,” shares Jenny Rushmore, P&G Global Sustainability leader. If a change in shape is implemented for the packaging of their products, these were made not just for aesthetic reasons, but more so to help lessen plastic use and ultimately lessen the environmental footprint that the company leaves behind. “The packaging change of Pantene in China, the curved handle of Gillette Fusion and even the bottle of Olay Total Effects were designed to be eco-conscious. In fact, these changes have accounted for a reduction of 2,200 tons of plastic disposal in one year alone,” adds Jenny. Since most of us use at least one of their products, imagine the global impact of these changes in just five years. “Our manufacturing plants have also been making a conscious effort to be more eco-friendly. We aim for at least a 50-percent reduction in pollution from our plants this decade. We are also in the process of building the most eco-friendly plant in the world,” shares Jenny.
Being a multi-billion dollar company with great global influence over what consumers use and buy, even the smallest change that they might think of implementing will have a huge global effect. “We at P&G believe in purpose-driven innovation,” stressed Walter Geiger, vice president and general manager of hair care. “We cannot and do not focus on just profit, but also on sustainability and purpose-inspired innovation.”
Going Beyond Beauty
Being a huge company with a slew of popular beauty products (Head & Shoulders, Pantene, Herbal Essences, Wella, Gillette, Olay, SK II), one would think that they would have been happy with all the environmental and sustainability changes they’ve implemented on their items. Uncharacteristic for a huge company, they have instead decided to go further and use a water-purifying technology they developed (which could have made them millions of dollars in profit) and use it to save the lives of millions of children around the world. “The technology of PUR and its ease of use will help save the lives of children around the globe who die every day from water-borne diseases,” shares Victoria Great, P&G’s associate director for external affairs. One packet of PUR can purify one liter of water, without the need for boiling or any other tedious and time-consuming process. Just simply pour one packet into the water, stir it around to help separate the sediments and dirt from the water. Strain the water through a cheese cloth and the water is instantly potable. One pack kills 99.999 percent of bacteria. Since its establishment in 2003, the Children Safe Drinking Water program has partnered with more than 30 organizations throughout the world to provide two billion liters of clean drinking water to people in more than 40 countries. These packets were distributed and used locally after Ondoy through P&G’s partnership with World Vision, a global foundation that serves poor children and their communities. The very basic need for potable water could have been a big opportunity for them to cash in on this technology, but they have instead decided to share it with the ones who need it most.
Starting with the man in the mirror
The world is a big place, and also one that is also getting smaller every day. While great oceans separate us, the innovations of technology have made it possible to talk to someone anytime and anywhere in the globe. Our ill choices in the past have also made it clear that the pollution we spread on our local shores affects the oceans that surround our planet. We all breathe the same air, after all. Thus there is no such thing as small, insignificant choices and deeds. What little thing I do today, and whatever resources and products I use will be part of a bigger chain that binds all of us. So while there is nothing wrong with wanting healthy, beautiful and flawless, moisturized skin, we can also work towards a healthy beautiful planet while picking out products at the store. Make every choice count.
