One Company's Trash

Mom read me an article last week about how P&G is turning garbage into goods and my first thought was why can't all companies do this? I'm not a big fan of P&G because truth be told, most of their products aren't that great for good ole Mother Earth. But I have to hand it to them for moving in the right direction at least when it comes to waste.

P&G is a $79 billion dollar company with 82 product brands in the US alone, so most people have several P&G products in their house. Some of their more well known brands are Tide, Charmin, Bounty, Downy, Pampers, Pantene, Crest, and Gillette. The reason most of their products are not environmentally friendly is because they don't source sustainable materials, and their laundry and healthcare products contain toxic chemicals. But this post isn't about what they're doing wrong. It's about what they're doing right.

The process of manufacturing products involves waste. It's that plain and simple, or as some would say, just the cost of doing business. But it's what companies do with that waste that separates the bad guys from the good. P&G created GARP (Global Asset Recovery Purchases) two years ago with one employee and has since grown to 25 people.

GARP turns garbage into goods via 20 industrial partners around the world who are involved in the program, many of whom specialize in alternative use recycling. Many of the waste or garbage materials in the past (or in other industries) would end up in landfills. Thanks to GARP, turning garbage into goods has kept tons of waste out of landfills thus enabling P&G to reduce its disposable waste by 30% since 2007. Just think of all the waste that a company like P&G creates through the manufacture of its products. The idea behind GARP is that if they can't find a use for a material one of their partners can. So selling or donating materials to their partners is a win-win for everyone because it not only keeps waste out of landfills, but it also reduces the need to use raw materials. GARP is so much more than recycling, don't you think?

P&G converts 96% of their raw materials into finished products but the rest is left for waste. That's where GARP comes in by finding partners who can utilize the waste that P&G cannot. But what type of waste am I talking about? I think you'll be surprised when you find out. And even more surprised when you read what their partners use that waste for.

In China, facial cream components are converted into products used for leather care. Seven distribution centers worked together to come up for a use for the facial cream waste. P&G China now keeps 97% of all scrap materials out of landfills due to GARP.

In Budapest, GARP teams use scrap feminine pads to fuel kilns at a local cement factory. This not only reduces the factory's energy consumption but also P&G's disposable waste. The team found that when the pads are shredded, they burn really well. The two Budapest factories now have shredders on site and they sell the scraps to a local cement maker.

Here in the U.S, ingredients used in toothpaste have found a second life as an additive in wheel polish and jewelry cleaners. Who knew? Mom did! She has been cleaning her jewelry with toothpaste for years. P&G shares the toothpaste with a U.S. company that blends it to make high-performance polish. By reusing this material, P&G is not incinerating the unused material and the partner is not using raw materials.

Another U.S. factory that produces Metamucil has found that a byproduct used in the manufacturing process that is typically considered waste can be recycled for soil retention in landscaping projects. This byproduct, when mixed with water and sprayed on developing landscapes, helps with soil retention thereby giving grass a chance to take root and grow.

Can you believe the garbage that is turned into goods? I'm so impressed with how P&G is addressing waste that I'm going to research how other companies deal with the same issue. I realize a program like GARP takes time and money to develop but it's the commitment to doing the right thing that makes all the difference. I'm hoping I find more companies handling waste in a similar fashion to P&G. If not, my question still remains - why can't all companies do this?