Reducing greenhouse gas emissions

Visit our Sustainability Data Hub to view progress against our sustainability goals and other sustainability metrics over time, as well as our environmental sustainability data archive.

2011-18

• We set a target in 2013 to reduce our GHG emissions 20% (per case of product sold) by 2020, using 2011 as our baseline. We achieved this target early, reducing our GHG emissions 33% on an intensity basis (per case of product sold) and 25% on an absolute basis, all by 2018. This represents a reduction of 189,000 metric tons of GHG emissions between 2011 and 2018. To view progress made in our previous goal periods, see our environmental sustainability data archive. 

2019 

• We publicly committed to setting SBTs across our value chain with the Science Based Target initiative, or SBTi. 

2021

• The SBTi approved our 2030 targets for scopes 1, 2 and 3 GHG emissions. The targets covering emissions from company operations (scopes 1 and 2) are consistent with reductions required to keep warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels. We also declared our net-zero ambition.  
• We achieved our scope 1 and 2 SBT of a 50% reduction in emissions, delivering a 62% reduction versus our 2020 base year emissions. This was driven by the achievement of our complementary IGNITE goal of 100% renewable electricity in the U.S. and Canada in 2021, four years ahead of our original plan, a full year of renewable electricity at our Colombia location and a partial year of renewable electricity at our Chile location.  

2022

• We created an internal roadmap and published a high-level Climate Action Plan for our net-zero ambition and near-term SBTs. Given that approximately 6% of our baseline global emissions are directly attributed to our own operations (scopes 1 and 2), we recognize action is needed to address the majority of emissions in scope 3 that are generated through our supply chain, distribution, consumer use, and material and design choices of our products and packaging. In our Climate Action Plan, we outlined our initial approach to addressing these challenges, including collaborating with our suppliers and leveraging new technologies and innovation as they become available. 

Ongoing

• We continue to make progress on our scope 3 SBT, achieving a greater than 15% reduction in scope 3, category 1 — purchased goods and services and category 11 — use of sold products (direct) against our 2020 baseline, primarily driven by contraction of the business as it normalized from the high demand for our products during the COVID-19 pandemic. We also maintained our achievement of our scopes 1 and 2 SBT, delivering a greater than 65% reduction in emissions versus our 2020 base year through 2024.  
• Clorox Climate Partners, launched in CY 24, is our supplier engagement program to cut Scope 3 emissions. It targets 100 high-impact suppliers in raw materials, packaging, and manufacturing, offering tailored support and practical tools to drive climate action. See our responsible sourcing page for more details.
• Recognizing the importance of transparently disclosing our climate efforts to stakeholders, we continue to apply the Task Force on Climate-Related Financial Disclosures framework to communicate our approach to climate governance, strategy and risk management, which can be found in our integrated annual report. 
• We are also committed to reducing emissions of particulate matter, volatile organic compounds (VOCs), sulfur oxide (SOx) and nitrous oxide (NOx), and are diligent about reducing, reusing and recycling fluorinated gases, or F-gases. Wherever required by federal, state or local regulations, we ensure our facilities are compliant with our air permits that limit the use of VOCs, SOx and NOx, and to public reporting of that data to relevant government agencies. 

GHG emissions overview (2024)

Our combined absolute scope 1, 2 (MBM)** and 3 GHG emissions decreased 18% in 2024 versus 2020, our baseline year for our 2030 SBTs and net–zero goal, primarily driven by contraction of the business as it normalized from the COVID-19 pandemic, along with sourcing renewable electricity for our U.S. and Canada locations. On an intensity basis, scope 1, 2 (MBM) and 3 GHG emissions have decreased 6% per case of product sold between 2020 and 2024.   

**Scope 2 emissions reported are calculated using the market-based method, or MBM. Beginning in 2021, scope 2 MBM emissions utilized various environmental attributes from renewable energy credits, or RECs, associated with virtual power purchase agreements, RECs purchased on the open market and International RECs purchased through an energy service provider. These market-based instruments were specific to facilities in the U.S., Canada, Colombia and Chile in 2022. Prior to 2021, the company did not use market-based instruments. 

Energy efficiency

We have focused on energy efficiency to reduce GHG emissions associated with energy used in our manufacturing, distribution and R&D facilities as well as in our offices. These efforts have reduced our energy costs and consumption. For more details, visit our Energy webpage for details.

Distribution efficiency

We have increased the environmental efficiency of our finished product distribution by moving from truck to more efficient rail. On average, approximately 20% of Clorox finished goods distribution miles are by rail.

Through the 2020 goal period (as well as in our current IGNITE period) Clorox has been a Transport Partner of the SmartWay program to measure, benchmark, and track efforts to increase efficiency and fuel economy. We’ve also conducted extensive network reconfiguration and optimization of shipments between our plants, co-packers, distribution centers and customers.

Renewable energy sources: Kingsford

Kingsford retort furnaces convert renewable wood scrap into char. Much of the heat generated from this process is, in turn, used to dry waste wood raw material as well as finished charcoal briquets, and to power steam boilers that are used for other Kingsford manufacturing operations, thereby reducing dependence on electricity powered by fossil fuels that these plants need to pull from the grid.