Water

Between 2007 and 2018, we reduced our water consumption 36% on an intensity basis (per case of product sold) and 20% on an absolute basis. This represents a reduction of 207 million gallons of water. 

In 2019, we reset our water use baseline to calendar year 2018. Our facilities continue to look for opportunities to reduce their water use. Our water withdrawals decreased by 12% between our 2018 baseline and 2022, and our plants were able to drive efficiencies and reduce water withdrawals by 14% per case of product sold between our 2018 baseline year and 2022.  

Since then, we’ve also conducted annual water risk analyses of our operations using Water Resource Institute’s Aqueduct Tool. 

In 2022 we identified 11 locations in high or extremely high baseline water stress areas. The locations include seven plants, three distribution centers and one office, representing 22% of our global water use.  Of these 11 facilities, four represent 92% of Clorox’s water withdrawals in high to extremely high baseline water stress areas—Mexico City, Mexico; Quilicura, Chile; and two locations in our joint venture in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Jeddah and Damman.  

Our facilities in Mexico City, Mexico, and Quilicura, Chile, are implementing localized water action plans. Since 2018, we have maintained consistent annual water withdrawals in Mexico City and reduced water use 25% in Quilicura, on an intensity basis – per case of product sold. Our Saudi joint venture developed an environmental roadmap that included finding water savings/improvements and establishing an action plan by fiscal year 2024. 

Since 2014, we’ve conducted third-party assurance of our water use. 

Improvements in infrastructure and equipment

Our water conservation efforts include several water recycling infrastructure and equipment upgrade initiatives as well as changes to some of our water management practices. Most notably, our Kingsford plants in Parsons, West Virginia, and Belle, Missouri, both reduced their water consumption by more than 40% primarily through investments in water recycling infrastructure and replacement of water with air compressor systems. 

We’ve also made other improvements, such as upgrading our filtration and recovery systems. We performed extensive water process mapping and conservation training at all manufacturing facilities, resulting in better plant-level water practices. 

Meanwhile, work on water restoration continues through the expansion and improvement of Clorox’s current wastewater treatment infrastructure. 

Water saved with Clorox Bleach – Concentrated Formula

Clorox began producing a 25% more concentrated bleach formula in 2020, saving resources across the product’s lifecycle. Relative to the comparable product previously available on the market, our current concentrated bleach product is estimated to save 23 million gallons of water annually. In addition to using less water to provide the same dose, this concentrated formula also requires less packaging and weighs less than our previous bleach (on a per-dose basis), reducing its manufacturing and distribution carbon footprint and making the new version a triple–win for the environment.