Reckitt Benckiser, manufacturer of Dettol and Harpic, has decided to re-label all its products with a ‘green panel’that will inform and educate buyers on alternate uses and the green way of disposing the material.
The ‘green panel’ will be seen on all products this year onwards, across all global markets in stages where Reckitt has a representation in.
However in India, the re-labelling exercise is expected to take shape after a year since the usual practice is to follow production cycles six-eight months in advance. It will also involve a substantial cost, though details of the same are not available. The implementation in India will happen in the second phase of the exercise. A Reckitt Benckiser India spokesperson said: “The exercise is global but specific time lines for India have not yet been firmed up.”
This will form a substantial part of Reckitt’s overall marketing and below-the-line spends. In India within the FMCG space, Reckitt Benckiser is the second biggest ad spender after Hindustan Unilever.
The move is in line with the company’s ‘Carbon 20 programme’—an internal guideline aimed at reducing total carbon footprint of Reckitt products by 20% by the year 2020. Reckitt CEO Bart Becht said in a statement: “By following guidelines on the packs, consumers can cut energy and water use and save money while making an impact on climate change.”
Not only will the products be re-labelling but all television advertising of Reckitt products will also be adapted to highlight the initiative. The company proposes to use the strapline—’greener ways to clean and save’.
The ‘green panel’ initiative will be backed by extensive in-store promotions. The on-pack information will be labelled across all products on how to use and dispose off products.
“The exercise, called ‘our home, our planet’, is aimed at helping consumers to reduce the carbon footprint of products they use,” the company said in a statement.