Ambitions for a cleaner future

With a global workforce of around 101,000 staff - 2,500 of which are based in the UK - to keep engaged (and from leaving), Procter & Gamble (P&G) should be keeping a keen eye on its employees’ desires for more sustainable practices. Fortunately, the consumer brands behemoth, which was founded by Englishman William Procter and Irishman James Gamble and is based in Cincinnati, Ohio, counts many household names with an innate aspect of environmental concern to them – whether its laundry detergent brand Ariel and its commitment to reducing household water consumption, or the likes of Gillette and Pampers focusing on reducing landfill waste and using more recycled materials.

Chris Young, P&G’s Vice President of HR for Northern Europe, speaks exclusively to myGrapevine magazine about how the firm is leading the way in these areas, by encouraging employees to “harness their personal passion” for sustainability by participating in company-led eco-initiatives and, in doing so, “willingly align themselves” to the aspirations of the Boardroom for a cleaner, greener future.

P&G channels its sustainability plans through its aptly named Ambition 2030 Project – which was launched to enable and inspire positive impact on the environment and society, while creating value for the company and its consumers. The idea was born out of previous environmental commitments from the company. In 2010, for example, the firm declared a set of goals to reduce its environmental footprint across climate, water and waste, including producing 15billion liters of clean water and 30% fewer emissions from its facilities. By 2020, P&G had achieved 14 out of its 16 goals originally set in 2010, and had made significant progress for the two goals it did not meet in entirety, according to Chris. But aside from P&G’s focus on engaging with consumers on the issue of sustainability, getting employees on board with the company’s sustainability ambitions is also a huge consideration – given the aforementioned PLAY report’s findings on the number of workers wanting their firm to have a strong sustainability plan. But how is the firm building sustainability into the workplace, and how are leaders educating employees across all levels of social and environmental sustainability?

This approach is backed up by general statistics which indicate a keen appetite from workers around the world to get involved in such environmental campaigns. According to a 2020 survey of more than 2,000 UK workers, conducted by Censuswide on behalf of designer and sustainability campaigner Leyla Acaroglu, 63% of employees expressed a desire to learn more “green skills” that could be put to use in the workplace. And more data has suggested that, when done well, efforts for equality, sustainability and communities can have a tremendous effect on employee contentment, as well as retaining and recruiting talent.

According to a 2021 global survey from IBM’s Institute for Business Value (IBV), 71% of employees and employment seekers say that environmentally sustainable companies are more attractive employers. More than two-thirds of respondents said they would be more likely to apply for and accept jobs with environmentally and socially responsible organisations, and nearly half would be prepared to accept a lower salary to work for such a company.

Inspiring others & fostering opportunities

But it appears that P&G isn’t resting on its laurels by just offering staff the chance to get involved in its eco-projects. Chris explains that the company seeks opinions from its employees, via regular surveys, to determine how sustainability is being discussed in their business units, their understanding of the business goals and how they can help. This in turn leads to employees building sustainability thinking and practices into their everyday work, identifying projects that might be relevant for sites, supply chain, brand campaigns or partnerships within society, according to Chris. He adds: “They are encouraged to share learnings across the organisation to inspire others and foster faster re-application of technologies and opportunities. These projects are reflected in their workplans and form an integrated part of what they do – environmental sustainability isn’t a bolt on to the business, it underpins our business.”

He adds: “Our employees willingly align themselves to this aspiration as they are passionate about driving progress in environmental sustainability, sharing the same desire as the company: to protect the planet now and for generations to come.”

‘We’re all about doing the right thing’

So far, so good for P&G. But while sustainability and the environment are understandably things that global businesses should throw their weight behind, they’re not the only issues that employees want their workplaces to tackle. Purposeful actions – whether it be championing equality, equity, diversity or something else – are also serious issues for any HR leader to consider. So much so, in fact, that recent data from LinkedIn found that 74% of members place a high value on finding work that delivers on a sense of purpose. Furthermore, a 2019 study from PwC found that 63% of staff felt more motivated to work if they believed their company had a clearly defined set of values. Additionally, 65% of the same respondents felt passionate about their work. And at P&G, as with their sustainability pledges, a strong sense of purpose is not just “a bolt on to the business”, it underpins it.

Much like its transparency over environmental issues and its work to improve them, P&G happily publishes its progress in an annual Citizenship Report, detailing progress across areas of community impact, equality and inclusion and environmental sustainability – all built on a foundation of ethics and corporate responsibility. In the company’s own words, when brands and businesses meaningfully engage in equality it leads to a better world for all. ‘Our Purpose, Values and Principles (PVPs) are the foundation of who we are’, P&G proudly states on its website. Its purpose is to improve consumers' lives in “small but meaningful ways”, and to inspire employees to make a positive contribution every day.”