Editor's note- ESG, which contains sustainable ideas through environmental and social responsibility and management, is being made mandatory, not an option. Yet, quite a number of businesses are still ignoring this matter. Practicing ESG management is directly linked to consumption value, which can be a measure. Thus, we are reporting on the steps of leading ESG management businesses this year, hoping to bring messages to both consumers and businesses that are not aware of their importance.

[Consumerwide - Jinil Kang Reporter / Yohan Bok Reporter] P&G Korea, a global household product business, has been closely partnering with a variety of institutes, aiming to create a society with a sustainable environment and sharing as a responsible global business citizen this year. At the same time, they have tried to create a horizontal and embracing business structure to maximise the potential capacity of staff.

E: Effort for environmental sustainability

P&G is aiming to make positive influence through P&G products while making the right choices in the global societies where their businesses are located. P&G Korea took various steps for environmental sustainability, which is a core value of their business.

In particular, P&G Korea suggested LCA in order to achieve a sustainable environment during the 2023 Environmental Sustainability Press Meeting held in April. LCA is a method that is designed to assess and improve based on environmental influence resulting from the overall product life cycle, including resource supply, manufacturing, packaging, delivery, use, and waste. Using the method, businesses can focus on reducing carbon emissions while discovering stages of production where improvement is necessary. Based on LCA, they design products while encouraging consumers to reduce carbon emissions in the user stage.

According to research in 2021, consumer-stage carbon emissions approached 83.3% in P&G household goods LCA. If users reduce water temperature or rinsing time during washing, it can definitely reduce carbon emissions. Default water temperature is 40 °C, and rinsing is done three times. It shows that not only manufacturers and distributors, but also users, play an important role. P&G has hosted Panda Talk, which is an environmental talk programme on the LCA theme, in 2022, cooperating with WWF. In December, P&G is introducing a relay webtoon cooperating with Insta-Webtooniest to promote environmental protection methods on a daily basis.

Ye Hyunsook, the ESG leader and external cooperation headquarters managing director of P&G Korea, said during the press meeting, “P&G has been initiating various activities that ordinary consumers can easily approach in terms of advanced environmental discourse and the LCA concept. We will constantly provide information on what aspects consumers can be involved in in terms of bringing positive change into their lives."

Recently, they have hosted a Gapeuljiwoo promotion between December 1st and 14th with a theme of environmental sustainability in cooperation with Emart. During the event period, Dawney, Febriz, Pantine, Gillete, and OralB (P&G popular brand products) were sold at a maximum 50% d/c price at overall e-mart stores, SSGdotcom, and Gmarket. And, offered a 5,000-won discount coupon for the purchase of event products over 30,000 won, and gave away reusable bags on a first-come, first-served basis. Gapeuljiwoo began in 2018 as a treaty signed between P&G Korea, Emart, and Terracycle and is the largest-scale environmental campaign platform in Korea. Since then, they have collected plastic waste and conducted various activities to preserve the ocean environment in cooperation with partnership companies every year. In particular, they re-manufacture plastic waste collected from customers and donate it to local society. In October, the plastic waste collected from Emart stores located in the capital area, Chungcheong, and Gapeuljiwoo official homepage approached 17,046kg. Besides, they have been continuing to practice resource circulation vision by picking up trash by the sea and producing ocean environment education contents.

S: Local social contribution

P&G Korea has donated a total of 3 thousand won for the restoration of Cheungju Wooncheon Elementary School and Daegu Gyeongwon High School facilities. These schools have been sunk and damaged due to heavy rain this summer. Donations were used to restore broken facilities and playgrounds in those schools and reconstruct the study environment through the social welfare institute, "Children and Future Fund." P&G Korea has donated 0.11 billion won for the restoration of Gangwon and Gyeongbuk fire disaster victim areas in March. And they have passed on 40 million won for the restoration of Pohang Namsung Elementary School, which was damaged by typhoon Hinnamnor in September.

On the other hand, celebrating "White Cane Safety Day" in October, P&G has produced a braille tag to secure the daily safety of people with visual impairments in cooperation with the Korea Consumer Agency and donated to the Korea Blind Union P&G household products worth 20 million won. Donated products, including P&G solitary donations, total 69 million won on an accumulated basis for the last two years.

In June 2022, the Korea Consumer Agency organised a public consultation with five household product businesses, including P&G Korea, to create a safe consumer environment. In November of the same year, P&G Korea produced and donated braille tags, which assist in distinguishing household products, to the Korea Blind Union.

G: Making horizontal structural culture

P&G and P&G Korea are creating a horizontal culture that respects variety and embraces it. P&G Korea has won the "Family-Friendly Business" award organised by the Ministry of Women and Family. And this proves P&G Korea is a business that supports both the tasks and lives of workers. The winning business is chosen due to the overall contents and current status of their system, social influence and effect, and social contribution. Since being first certified in 2012, P&G Korea has been continually certified as a family-friendly business for the last 12 years. P&G Korea has been accepting various systems, including flexible working hours and a holiday policy, to build a family-friendly business culture, as they too are working closely with family customers.

Besides, P&G Korea has been practicing the Shre the Care policy to support birth and child care since 2021. They are offering postpartum recovery leave for 105 days and parental leave (8 weeks) for any type of partner, regardless of marriage. They are also supporting the return to work so that all staff won't have any disadvantages due to leave.