Reckitt’s marketing-led approach to product sustainability

Water shortages are much harder to see from the consumer perspective. Clean water is available in taps across more economically developed countries and the average homeowner is capable of washing their dishes or putting them in the dishwasher to do the work for them. 

However, there are some misconceptions around the most sustainable solution to cleaning dishes, and this formed a rather interesting conversation between Scott Birch, CCO of BizClik, and Fabrice Beaulieu, Chief Marketing, Sustainability and Corporate Affairs Officer at Reckitt.

Those in the corporate world may have heard of Reckitt, but to the end consumer it can be identified as Dettol, Air Wick, Finish, or another of its brands combining to sell roughly 20 million products to the public every day. 

During a fireside chat at Sustainability LIVE London, Beaulieu explains the key strategies adopted by the consumer goods business to not only act upon its own environmental nuances, but also influences consumers to make significant changes in terms of product waste. 

One of the things mentioned by Beaulieu from a marketing perspective is how the coming encouraged each brand team to choose an environmental or social target in line with the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals. (SDGs).

“Finish selected SDG 6, ‘clean water and sanitation’. Water stress affects roughly two billion people already and that number is only going to go up. The process of cleaning the dishes can be water efficient or very wasteful.” 

“Every time you use your dishwasher for one lot of dirty dishes, it’s going to use 10 litres of water. If you did the same thing by hand, it would require 100 litres of water.” 

Teams wanted to do something about this, which means reinventing the products manufactured by Reckitt to meet green requirements, but also work harder to clean dishes, therefore avoiding the need for consumers to pre-rinse. 

There is also a key marketing element to this, which is explained by Beaulieu, which is not only to supply the products that perform better but ensure that consumers understand the capabilities of those products. 

Reducing the impact of product social media marketing

The company, as Beaulieu mentions, recognised the need for actions on the major social sites in order to maintain the growth of its sales, but also spread the sustainability message. With a number of projects shot overseas, the company clawed back its travel and decided to produce more of its content virtually to alleviate the need for costly, pollutant trips. 

This shows that, in order to talk the talk, the company has to walk the walk—but not further than absolutely necessary. By reducing the movements of its marketing teams, Reckitt is limiting its emissions impact through employees and third parties, and minimising the time spent on filming certain projects. 

Learn more about Reckitt’s strategy for sustainability and marketing, and how these fields work closely together, by watching the playback of the fireside discussion. 

*************************************************

For more insights into Sustainability - check out the latest edition of Sustainability Magazine and be sure to follow us on LinkedIn & Twitter

Other magazines that may be of interest - EV Magazine | Energy Digital

*********************************************

Sign up to the The Global Sustainability & ESG Awards 2024, coming to London on the 11th September 2024. 

Net Zero LIVE will be hosted live from the QEII Centre, London on the 6th and 7th of March, and streamed globally via our virtual event platform Brella. Net Zero LIVE London will feature four LIVE themes, incorporating Sustainability LIVE, EV LIVE, Scope 3 LIVE, and Energy LIVE to deliver a holistic conference and exhibition experience with opportunities to connect with like-minded peers and actively contribute to crafting a sustainable future. Following Net Zero LIVE, viewers can also sign up for Sustainability LIVE Dubai and Singapore. 

*********************************************

BizClik is a global provider of B2B digital media platforms that cover 'Executive Communities' for CEO's, CFO's, CMO's, Sustainability Leaders, Procurement & Supply Chain Leaders, Technology & AI Leaders, Cyber Leaders, FinTech & InsurTech Leaders as well as covering industries such as Manufacturing, Mining, Energy, EV, Construction, Healthcare + Food & Drink.

BizClik, based in London, Dubai & New York offers services such as Content Creation, Advertising & Sponsorship Solutions, Webinars & Events.