Ecolab’s Growth & Impact: Reducing Water, Carbon & Packaging

Ecolab’s 2025 Growth & Impact Report reflects a core conviction that business performance and environmental impact must advance together to meet accelerating global challenges. 

By pairing rigorous science with digital intelligence, the company delivers water, hygiene and infection prevention solutions across more than 170 countries. 

The strategy is built upon a high-performing team of 48,000 associates dedicated to protecting the resources vital to life while helping customers grow safely and efficiently. 

Through this holistic approach, Ecolab aims to decouple economic growth from resource intensity, ensuring long-term value for society, the environment and investors alike.

Optimising AI and data centre efficiency

As artificial intelligence reshapes global industries, it is driving an unprecedented demand for energy and cooling water, creating new operational constraints. 

Data centres powering these AI advancements are projected to consume more than one trillion gallons of global freshwater annually by 2027, according to EcoLab.

Ecolab is addressing this by implementing a site-to-chip approach, utilising 3D TRASAR technology to provide continuous monitoring and optimisation of water quality. 

New innovations like Direct-to-Chip Liquid Cooling combined with AI-enhanced insights help organisations protect servers and improve reliability in water-scarce environments. 

By turning complex data into decision-ready intelligence, Ecolab ensures that the next generation of digital infrastructure can scale without depleting vital local resources.

The company is aiming to improve water use efficiency by 40% across its enterprise.

“Water is the foundation of life and business,” says Christophe Beck, Chairman, President and CEO, Ecolab.

“We cannot create more water, but we can  reimagine how we use it.  

“Companies that act decisively, apply proven solutions and work in partnership will lead  the next era of growth.” 

Advancing energy efficiency and climate action

Ecolab is committed to supporting its customers' decarbonisation goals by providing a portfolio of energy-saving technologies such as low-temperature laundry and cleaning programmes. 

In 2025 alone, the company helped customers avoid 4.7 million tonnes of GHG emissions through the use of verified eROI methodologies. 

Within its own operations, Ecolab has achieved a 44% reduction in absolute Scope 1 and 2 emissions from a 2018 base year. 

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The company now powers 92% of its global operations with renewable electricity, utilising on-site geothermal systems and solar installations. 

These focused climate actions position Ecolab to meet its 2030 ambition of cutting operational emissions by 50% while advancing toward a net zero future.

By 2030, the company is aiming to: 

• Support customers in helping prevent nearly 10 million pollution-induced illnesses by reducing GHG emissions by six million tonnes
• Cut operational emissions by 50%
• Power 100% of global operations with renewable electricity
• Reduce value chain emissions by 25%. 

“At Ecolab, we help customers succeed in a challenging environment by making their operations smarter, more resilient and more productive, turning resource complexity into enterprise value,” says Emilio Tenuta, Senior Vice President and Chief Sustainability Officer at EcoLab, in the company’s 2025 Growth & Impact Report.

“Our 2030 Customer Impact Goals reflect that discipline.”

Protecting health and safety in food and healthcare

Maintaining high standards of hygiene and infection prevention is essential for the food and healthcare markets to operate safely and maintain brand reputation. 

Ecolab’s sales-and-service teams work to help protect more than one-third of the world's food production and safeguard people from foodborne illnesses and infections. 

In 2025, their efforts helped protect 1.7 billion people, with a goal to increase this impact to two billion people by 2030. 

In healthcare facilities, specialised environmental hygiene and disinfection programs are deployed to improve patient care and operational efficiency. 

These essential services ensure that critical manufacturing and service environments remain precise, clean and compliant with global safety regulations.

“Ecolab helped protect 1.7 billion people from foodborne illnesses and infections and conserve enough water to meet the drinking needs of 849 million people,” says Christophe.

“Yet by 2030, the world is projected to face a 56% freshwater shortfall, even before accounting for new demand driven by AI, data centers and advanced manufacturing.”

Circularity and responsible supply chains

Ecolab integrates circular economy principles throughout its product life cycle, from ethical material sourcing to end-of-life disposal or reuse. 

The company’s packaging design prioritises material reduction, which helped avoid 36 million pounds of packaging waste in 2025. 

Innovation programs like ReadyDose utilise highly concentrated solid tablets to reduce plastic packaging waste by 98.8% compared to equivalent liquid products. 

Furthermore, Ecolab is transitioning away from substances of very high concern, with such ingredients representing only 0.2% of its annual revenue in 2025. 

By focusing on renewable raw materials and post-consumer recycled resin, Ecolab continues to strengthen the environmental performance of its global value chain.

Resilient growth across Ecolab’s value chain depends on strong partnerships with more than 17,300 suppliers globally. 

To ensure operational integrity, the company requires 100% of its direct suppliers to comply with a comprehensive Supplier Code of Conduct that covers ethical labor, human rights and environmental stewardship. 

Sustainability is further embedded through a 2030 goal to reduce absolute Scope 3 value chain emissions by 25% from a 2022 base year. 

Ecolab also prioritises supplier diversity, having spent US$533m with certified underrepresented suppliers in 2025 to foster innovation and economic stimulus in local communities. 

By integrating sustainable financing models and local sourcing, with 90% of purchases made within local operating markets, Ecolab strengthens supply chain resilience and reduces total resource intensity.