Announcements

RB Press release - 30/12/2008
Reckitt Benckiser Launches Global Campaign - ‘Our Home Our Planet’

To Help Consumers Save Money And Minimise Their Carbon Footprint

Reckitt Benckiser, a world leader in household, health and personal care, today announced the launch of a global campaign to educate its customers about how to reduce the carbon emissions of their products while saving money. ‘Our Home Our Planet’ is the next step in Reckitt Benckiser’s Carbon 20 programme which aims to reduce by 20% the Total Carbon Footprint from cradle to grave of all Reckitt Benckiser’s products by 2020.

• Reckitt Benckiser’s extensive ‘life cycle analysis’ show that 60-70% of the Total Carbon Footprint of Reckitt Benckiser’s approximately 15 million products sold every day comes through consumer usage
• The only way to have a major impact is to work with consumers on ways they can make that usage more energy and resource efficient.
• Our Home Our Planet engages directly with consumers about how they can save energy and resources so they can also save money
• For example, if everyone in the UK followed the guidelines being introduced on Finish it would save around 1.28 billion kWh per year  which is the equivalent to taking almost 175,000 cars off the road.
• RB analysis suggests that the average saving in electricity and water bills to a household that followed the guidelines being introduced on all packaging would be around £95 a year.
• Reckitt Benckiser is the first major FMCG company to launch a global education campaign for consumers
• RB recognises that only by launching such an education campaign can we hope to make a significant impact to help tackle the problem of climate change. Reckitt Benckiser will roll out the campaign across its well known brands such as Finish, Harpic, Dettol, and Vanish in 2009.

Bart Becht, Chief Executive Officer of Reckitt Benckiser said,

"Today Reckitt Benckiser is launching ‘Our Home Our Planet’, a wide-reaching campaign to educate our customers about how to save money and reduce the carbon emissions of using our products. ‘Our Home Our Planet’ is the next step in Reckitt Benckiser’s Carbon 20 programme which aims to reduce by 20% the Total Carbon Footprint from cradle to grave of all Reckitt Benckiser’s products by 2020.

“It is the first truly global initiative designed to give simple and practical advice to consumers about small steps they can take to save energy. We understand that people still want to make a difference to the environment even in tougher economic conditions. By following the guidelines we have put onto products, consumers will also cut energy and water use and save money while making a real impact on climate change."