Procter & Gamble has pledged to pursue LEED certification for all new sites.
The personal care company is seeking its first LEED certification for its Taicang plant in China, which broke ground last week, and said several more sites are working towards the standard. All new P&G sites in design or early construction phase will work towards LEED certification, the company said.
In addition, P&G said it will seek equivalent local certification standards in all countries where those standards are available.
P&G said its Taicang plant would minimize water consumption through features such as rainwater harvesting and recovery of steam condensate. It will use an outdoor lighting system partially powered by solar energy, and will be designed to maximize recycling and achieve zero waste to landfill, P&G said.
It is not the first time the company has used some of those technologies. Its facility in Guanajuato, Mexico, collects wastewater and rooftop rain water and treats them prior to reuse. A beauty care plant in Urlati, Romania (pictured) uses natural light, high-efficiency glass and external sunshades, and uses heat recovered from the manufacturing process to heat the building and its water.
“Pursuing LEED certification for all new sites including offices, innovation centers, and our manufacturing and distribution centers is the next evolution in our facility eco-design process that will ensure excellence in sustainable design,” said Keith Harrison, P&G global product supply officer.
P&G's long-term sustainability goals include powering its plants with 100 percent renewable energy and using 100 percent renewable or recycled materials for all products and packaging.
Procter & Gamble recently unveiled a wind turbine at its pet care plant in Coevorden, Netherlands.
Rival Clorox recently won LEED platinum certification for its corporate offices.
Another company to recently make a LEED pledge is FedEx, which announced that it aims to secure certification for all its new FedEx Express facilities in the U.S.
In a recent survey of 550 building professionals in Ohio, North Carolina and Alberta, over 80 percent said their clients have at least somewhat embraced green building. Nearly half indicated that they had added internal capacity to meet green building market needs.
Another survey revealed that half of corporate real estate executives are willing to pay more for leased space that is “green”, up from 37 percent in 2009, according to a survey.
