It's Our Home: Small Actions at Home Can Make a Big Difference for Our Planet

We all want to do our part to protect the planet, but sometimes it’s hard to know where to start. According to a new study we conducted in the U.S. – which is consistent with research we’ve conducted in multiple markets around the world – while 72% of people want to do more to be sustainable at home, less than half make environmentally conscious choices at home as often as they’d like. And for those who don’t act sustainably, "not knowing how" is the biggest barrier.

Closing this intention-to-action gap and unlocking change at home has the potential to positively impact the planet. Among the 28 sectors of global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, “homes” are in the top three, as big as road transportation. Homes are bound to become an even more critical source of emissions, as the electricity we use at home — accelerated by the COVID-19 pandemic — is expected to nearly double by 2050.

In celebration of Earth Week and as part of our commitment to inspire responsible consumption among the five billion consumers we serve every day, we’re launching It's Our Home, a new campaign to highlight how small actions at home can make a world of difference for our planet.

Through this campaign, P&G and our brands are using our voice, reach, innovation and expertise to make sustainability irresistible for all. Here are some of the ways we're making it happen:

Shining a light on children as agents of change

You might think that the change agents inspiring these simple choices at home are celebrities, politicians or scientists, but nearly 90% of parents reported that their children are most likely to influence them to be more sustainable at home. This insight inspired P&G’s new short film, It’s Our Home, in which young Luisa helps her family make easy choices to protect their planet.

Inspiring small changes that make a big difference

Did you know that using the dishwasher actually saves water compared to washing dishes by hand? The small changes we make in our daily routines — such as using cold water for laundry, taking shorter showers or turning off the tap while brushing our teeth or shaving — can have a big impact. That’s why our brands continue to look for new ways to enable sustainable habits at home.

Cascade is encouraging consumers to skip the pre-rinse and choose the dishwasher with its “Do It Every Night” ad campaign. A running sink can use up to four gallons of water every two minutes, while an ENERGY STAR® certified dishwasher uses less than four gallons per cycle. By busting a popular myth and encouraging families to forgo handwashing for the dishwasher, Cascade helps consumers save up to 100 gallons of water a week. Learn more about what small acts you can do that have a big impact here.

Innovating to make it easier for families to be more sustainable at home

Our brands are making it simple for households to be more sustainable without tradeoffs in product performance. Tide is formulated to provide superior clean in cold water, while Dawn Powerwash Dish Spray creates spray-activated suds without water to get dishes clean without soaking so there’s no need to use the faucet until the final rinse. And households using Swiffer Wet Jet can save more than 70 gallons of water per year compared to the standard mop and bucket.

Making an impact with everyday purchases

Want to get involved? Consumers in the U.S. can participate in the It’s Our Home movement through P&G Good Everyday, our new rewards program powered by our brands that helps turn everyday actions into acts of good. Through this program, consumers earn points that can be redeemed for rewards — and as they earn, we make donations to causes they care about. For example, thanks to our partners at the Arbor Day Foundation, consumers can pledge to recycle or donate their points to plant a tree, helping to create a legacy of doing good together. To sign up and start earning, visit: https://www.pggoodeveryday.com/signup/.

Doing more for the planet we call home

Environmental sustainability has been embedded in how P&G does business for decades, and we’re continually reducing the impact of our operations. We are committed to positively impacting homes, communities, and the planet – especially in the areas of packaging, climate, forestry and water. Over the past 10 years, we have reduced GHG emissions by 50%, reached zero manufacturing waste to landfill across all sites and doubled the use of recycled resin in plastic packaging. Later this year, we will issue a climate transition action plan outlining our plans toward the long-term objective of net zero emissions for scope 1, 2, and elements of scope 3 emissions.

We’re also making progress on our 2030 sustainability goals, which include reducing manufacturing emissions by 50%, purchasing 100% renewable electricity, making 100% of our packaging recyclable or reusable, reducing virgin petroleum plastic packaging by 50%, and improving our finished product transportation emissions efficiency by 50%.

For more about P&G’s commitments and progress, read our https://us.pg.com/environmental-sustainability/.