161: Pritchard and Helias on Global Sustainability at Procter & Gamble

This week on “Marketing Today,” host Alan Hart shares a two-part interview with Marc Pritchard, Chief Brand Officer, and Virginie Helias, Chief Sustainability Officer at Procter & Gamble (P&G). Pritchard, who has worked at P&G for an impressive 37 years in multiple capacities, talks about the business justification for sustainability on the heels of the Sustainable Brands Summit in Detroit. Helias also has an amazing 31-year career thus far at P&G, and she discusses programs that deal with sustainability being spread across the company worldwide.Pritchard talks about a new initiative called Brands for Good, the importance of using the voice of companies and brands as a force for good, particularly with the Brands For Good initiative, and even a personal story of how he came to understand how businesses carry a huge responsibility to the world. Helias talks about the Ambition 2030 program at P&G, the company's work with the World Wildlife Fund's new resource plastic initiative, how P&G has started the Loop pilot program to replace disposable packaging with waste-free packaging, and working towards having no P&G waste winding up in the ocean.Pritchard talks about the power of brands and companies become socially and environmentally responsible by saying, “What I found is that when companies and brands come together and focus on a common mission, what it allows them to do is hold each other accountable, share best practices, find ways to challenge each other to innovate and it drives much more collective action.” Pritchard shared some interesting statistics about consumers and the brands they choose, “9 out of 10 consumers say they have a more positive image of a company or a brand when it supports a social or an environmental cause. More than half say they make purchase decisions based on shares beliefs with brands.” Helias gives us an immediate way of washing we can all help the environment, “The biggest environmental impact based on life cycle assessment is really the temperature washing machine. It is 80% of the carbon footprint.” Virginie tells us about the goal of Ambition 2030 as being, “Really, what we want to do by 2030 is reinvent the model of consumption.” Highlights from this week's “Marketing Today”:How does Marc Pritchard think about the Sustainable Brands Summit compared to other conferences he has attended? (01:27)What is the Brands For Good coalition about? (02:34)What did Marc learn from the research that drove why they are getting involved in sustainability? (04:35)Who are the other companies that are joined P&G in Brands For Good? (07:45)What makes Brands For Good different from what other brands and companies are doing? (10:27)Are there any experiences in Marc's past that have helped define who he is today? (16:02)What advice would Marc Pritchard give to his younger self? (18:42)What does Marc Pritchard feel is the future of marketing? (20:24)Virginie Helias introduces herself. (22:53)Virginie Helias talks about her role in sustainability at P&G. (23:20:)What is the World Wildlife Fund's new resource plastic initiative? (28:11)What is involved in the Loop pilot program to replace disposable packaging with waste-free packaging? (31:16)What is the end goal of Ambition 2030? (35:52)What are the top priorities of a brand leader to make an impact in sustainability? (37:47) Become a member today and listen ad-free, visit https://plus.acast.com/s/marketingtoday. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.