Products and Packaging
At Clorox, we're constantly seeking to improve the sustainability of our products and packages, while delivering superior products that meet consumer needs. We focus on the redesign and reduction of both product and packaging materials, increasing the amount of recycled content used in our packaging, and enabling the packaging to be recycled. And we are sure to do this without compromising the effectiveness or usability of our products.
Creating More Sustainable Products
When we formulate and manufacture Clorox products, we keep you and our planet in mind.
Glad® compostable bags, available in Canada, address sustainability on two fronts. First, they are 100 percent compostable, meaning they disintegrate rapidly into compost that supports plant life. Second, the bags are made from renewable plant resources. When developing a new product, we conduct environmental safety assessments to help ensure our products will be safe for the environment when used as directed. These evaluations include such things as biodegradation and bioaccumulation, and impact on septic systems, aquatic life, birds, and other wildlife.
Clorox is also committed to redesigning our products and packaging in order to improve their environmental footprint by either reducing or enhancing the materials used. During the 2005–2009 period, Clorox has made sustainability improvements to 32 percent of its product portfolio on a volume sold basis. In 2010, we set a new goal to make sustainability improvements to 25 percent of our portfolio by 2013. Two years into this four-year goal period, we have already made sustainability improvements to 21 percent of our global product portfolio. We also are proud that 90 percent of our product cartons use 100 percent recycled material, and that more than 85 percent of the packages that house our products are recyclable.
*An eco-improvement is defined as either 1) a 5% or greater reduction in either product or packaging material on a per consumer use basis, or 2) a meaningful sustainability improvement to 10% or more of either product or packaging material on a per consumer use basis.
To ensure that we meet our goal of making sustainability improvements to 25% of our product portfolio by 2013, Clorox's many business units are given annual sustainability commitments that they are held accountable to, with overall coordination of this effort managed by Clorox's corporate Eco Office.
See How We're Creating More Sustainable Products »
Creating More Sustainable Packaging
The Clorox Company is committed to making its primary and secondary packaging, and supporting collateral materials, more sustainable while delivering high-quality products for consumers’ everyday needs.
Today, 90 percent of our U.S. product cartons are made from 100 percent recycled content and most of our U.S. retail display materials are made from 100 percent post-consumer waste. Over 85% of the packages that house our products are recyclable.
Through our efforts to reduce the amount of high density polyethylene (HDPE) plastic resin used in containers for such products as Clorox® regular bleach and Clorox® Disinfecting Wipes, we have cut our resin use by more than 5 million pounds per year. We also reduced Glad® trash bag packaging material an average of 45 percent over recent years.
By 2013, we seek to:
- Reduce packaging on more than half of our product portfolio (vs. a 2004 base period)
- Have more than 90 percent of all our products in recyclable primary packaging.
- Identify alternatives to PVC for all packaging.
We are among the leaders in developing standards for sustainable packaging and the use of recycled materials. Clorox is an active member of the Sustainable Packaging Coalition and Wal-Mart’s Sustainable Value Packaging Network, and the Glad Research and Development team participates in the American Society for Testing and Materials' efforts to develop and test biodegradable plastics.
While we've accomplished much, we recognize that we are not done yet. We remain committed to finding new and innovative ways to further reduce the environmental impact of our packaging and in-store collateral materials.
