The new report details Colgate’s long-standing commitment, achievements, accomplishments and challenges to sustainability and social responsibility. Committed to People, Performance and Planet, the focus globally is on:
- Promoting Healthier Lives
- Contributing to the Communities Where We Live and Work
- Delivering Products that Delight Consumers and Respect our Planet
- Making Every Drop of Water Count
- Reducing Our Impact on Climate and the Environment
Colgate’s strategy is supported by commitments and goals, including promoting health and wellness to reduce employee health risks by 15 percent; expanding the Company’s global flagship oral health education program, Colgate’s Bright Smiles, Bright Futures®, projected to reach one billion children by 2020; increasing the sustainability profile in Colgate products; reducing water and energy consumed in the manufacture of products by 40 percent and 20%, respectively; and requesting that all key suppliers measure and disclose climate change information and overall transparency. Details are available in the report.
A few recent sustainability performance highlights covered in the report:
- Reached over 650 million children in 80 countries since Colgate’s Bright Smiles, Bright Futures®, the Company’s oral health education program, began in 1991;
- Reduced per-ton manufacturing-related greenhouse gas emissions by 21 percent, water use by 44 percent, and wastewater loading by 31 percent between 2002 and 2010;
- Achieved a 95 percent improvement in total recordable accident rate from 1990 to 2010; and
- Expanded Colgate’s Code of Conduct certification and training program to reach 100 percent employees
“Long before many businesses began talking about sustainability and social responsibility, Colgate recognized that how we do business is just as important as what we do,” says Colgate's President and Chief Executive Officer Ian Cook. “At Colgate, sustainability is not just a project or initiative — it’s built into and about business decisions every day.”
The web site, including the 2011 sustainability report and videos of sustainability in action at Colgate, is available at www.colgate.com/sustainability.
Colgate-Palmolive is a leading global consumer products company, tightly focused on Oral Care, Personal Care, Home Care and Pet Nutrition. Colgate sells its products in over 200 countries and territories around the world under such internationally recognized brand names as Colgate, Palmolive, Mennen, Softsoap, Irish Spring, Protex, Sorriso, Kolynos, elmex, Tom's of Maine, Sanex, Ajax, Axion, Soupline, and Suavitel, as well as Hill's Science Diet and Hill's Prescription Diet. For more information about Colgate's global business, visit the Company's web site at www.colgatepalmolive.com. To learn more about Colgate's Bright Smiles, Bright Futures®, Colgate’s flagship global oral health education program, please visit http://www.colgatebsbf.com.
