Reckitt Benckiser Unveils betterbusiness Sustainability Strategy

PARSIPPANY, N.J., Jan. 8, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Reckitt Benckiser (RB), a global consumer goods leader in health, hygiene and home whose portfolio includes iconic brands such as Clearasil®, Mucinex®, Lysol®, and Woolite®, has unveiled its new sustainability strategy, betterbusiness.  The platform focuses on addressing three major global challenges: water conservation, more sustainable health and hygiene innovations for women around the world, and further decreases of its carbon footprint.

The betterbusiness strategy aims to specifically address three major targets by 2020; to deliver a 1/3 reduction in water use, 1/3 further reduction in carbon footprint and have 1/3 of its net revenue coming from more sustainable products.  To achieve these goals, RB has detailed functional targets for better design, better production and better consumer choice through its roster of brands.

"Sustaining our planet while improving the health and lives of our consumers is extremely important to our RB teams across North America," said Frederic Larmuseau, president of RB North America.  "We are excited to continue implementing smarter design and developing innovative product ideas that will lead to achieving this ambitious goal."

The new strategy builds on the outstanding achievement of RB's global Carbon20 program, which led to a 21% improvement in lifecycle greenhouse gas emissions per dose since 2007; achieved eight years ahead of its 2020 commitment.  This performance was based on emissions throughout an RB product's lifecycle, from raw material sourcing to disposal, and is equivalent to taking 3 million cars off the road. Additionally, RB's Trees for Change project, which offsets greenhouse gas emissions from manufacturing operations through planting trees, is responsible for planting over 5.4 million trees in Canada to date.

The implementation of betterbusiness in the United States is well under way.  For example, RB recently launched Lysol Power & Free bathroom cleaner which contains hydrogen peroxide and has a one-third lower carbon footprint than the previous active ingredient.  Hydrogen peroxide is also better for the environment, as it is a naturally occurring substance and breaks down to just water and oxygen.  Additionally, RB's Finish brand has changed the package shape of units sold at COSTCO to be more efficient.  This has led to a reduction of over 7,000 pallets, effectively taking over 200 trucks off the road and saving over 100,000 road miles by transitioning from cylindrical packaging to a box.

In addition to product innovation and development, collaboration will also be key to the strategy's success. RB has taken the following measures in support of betterbusiness:

• Collaborations: RB recently joined The Sustainability Consortium and is in discussions with WWF, the international conservation organization, to develop a methodology to measure water impact of their business operations and product portfolio. This can have a wide beneficial effect well beyond RB's own product boundaries.
• Sustainable Innovation Calculator: RB is developing a new Sustainable Innovation Calculator, based on the principles of RB's Carbon Calculator which helped achieve the Carbon20 goal eight years early. At the product level it will assess ingredients, packaging, carbon and water. 
• Carbon Disclosure Project: RB is listed in the Carbon Performance Leadership Index (CPLI) 2012 with a disclosure score of 93 and a performance rating of A. The CPLI highlights those companies within the FTSE Global Equity Index Series (Global 500) that have demonstrated a strong approach to climate strategy and emissions reduction in their CDP responses. 
• Guidelines: Compliance with RB's Global Ingredient Guidelines and RB's Social Standards.

More information on the new approach can be found at www.rb.com/sustainability and the refreshed consumer website can be found at http://www.ourhome-ourplanet.us/.                              

About Reckitt Benckiser
Reckitt Benckiser (RB) is a global consumer goods leader in health, hygiene and home.

With a purpose of delivering innovative solutions for healthier lives and happier homes, RB is in the top 25 of companies listed on the London Stock Exchange. Since 2000 net revenues have doubled and the market cap has quadrupled.  Today it is the global No 1 or No 2 in the majority of its fast-growing categories, driven by an exceptional rate of innovation. It's health, hygiene and home portfolio is led by 19 global Powerbrands including Nurofen, Strepsils, Gaviscon, Mucinex, Durex, Scholl, Lysol, Dettol, Clearasil, Veet, Harpic, Bang, Mortein, Finish, Vanish, Woolite, Calgon, Airwick, and French's, and they account for 70% of  net revenue. 

RB people and its culture are at the heart of the company's success. They have an intense drive for achievement and a desire to outperform wherever they focus, including in CSR where the company has reduced its Carbon footprint by 21% since 2007 and is targeting now to deliver a 1/3 reduction in water impact, 1/3 further reduction in carbon footprint and have 1/3 of its net revenue coming from more sustainable products by 2020. It is also the Save the Children charity's largest FMCG global partner.

The company has operations in over 60 countries, with headquarters in the UK, Singapore, Dubai and Amsterdam, and sales in almost 200 countries.  The company employs approximately 32,000 people worldwide.

For more information visit www.rb.com

Contact:
Dean Mastrojohn
Communications Director, Reckitt Benckiser North America
973-404-2494
[email protected]

SOURCE Reckitt Benckiser