Sustainabile supply vital for P&G to satisfy consumers

Rick Hughes, vice president of global procurement, outlined the key challenges facing his organisation as it moves into 2010.

And he believes that innovation is vital if P&G is to continue to keep pace with consumer demand for environmentally friendly, but high quality products – and hit its own internal targets.

“We’re working with our own manufacturing operations and laboratory/office sites to ensure that we’re making progress against internal environmental metrics,” he tells Sustainable Sourcing.

“We’re bringing innovative, more sustainable energy sources to feed manufacturing needs; utilising external supply capability to reduce or reuse unshippable by-product streams; and reducing our energy usage and consequently our carbon footprint.”

Hughes himself, represents P&G Purchases on the company’s Corporate Sustainability Leadership Council – a body that takes responsibility for the firm’s broader sustainability program.

P&G Purchases has also established its own body, which serves to advise the company on its future direction in sustainable sourcing.

“We’ve established a Supplier Sustainability Council – which engages closely with a cross-section of some of our leading external business partners,” Hughes says.

“This Supplier Council advises P&G so we can fully leverage the perspective of our leading suppliers to drive more complete solutions.”

In March of this year, P&G announced that it intended to more than double its targets for the sale of sustainably produced goods. Under the new plans the company will develop and market at $50bn in sales of “sustainable innovation products” – up from the previous figure of 20%.

Click here to read more.