P&G chief urges brands to unite on Green issues

by Antoinette Odoi, Marketing 22-Feb-08, 13:45

LONDON - Companies have the power to motivate consumers to adopt a greener lifestyle and should work together to do so, according to Procter& Gamble (P&G) western Europe president, Gianni Ciserani.

In a speech to business leaders at the 6^th annual European Business Summit, Ciserani said the success of the Ariel Cool Clean campaign, launched in the UK last year, demonstrated companies could produce eco-friendly products without compromising on performance.

According to P&G, Ariel's campaign encouraged more than five times as many customers than normal to switch to low-energy washing programmes, with Arial customers twice as likely as the average consumer to wash at a lower 30 degrees temperature (28% of Ariel customers in 2007 versus 13% of those using other brands).

Ciserani called on businesses to ‘embrace' their responsibility and work together with the aim of helping consumers on their journey towards adopting more sustainable behaviour.

P&G has already partnered the Energy Saving Trust in the UK, a body which encourages people to use energy efficiently and minimise their carbon footprint.

Comments

CHRIS ARNOLD - 22/02/2008

Gianni Ciserani is dead right that brands need to champion together to encourage consumers to adopt a better lifestyle. However, that isn’t just green but a more ethical one too. P&G and other brands could turn words into actions and support initiatives like the forthcoming London Aware 08 event – the first of it’s kind. The two day show, May 10-11th, at the Barbican, has been created to help make Londoners adopt a greener lifestyle. www.ukaware.com