Procter & Gamble’s Climate Commitment Leaves Most Emissions Untouched

Procter & Gamble Co. products are bought by 5 billion people, and everything involved in the manufacture, sale and use of those goods generates more than 230 million metric tons of greenhouse gas each year. The consumer-goods giant is now moving to cut some of its climate-warming emissions, while continuing to send the vast majority into the atmosphere.

The new commitment announced by P&G on Thursday moves to neutralize emissions from its factories and operations. By 2030, the company will cut those emissions in half and invest $100 million over the coming decade in nature-based projects, such as tree planting, to offset the rest. But direct emissions, known in climate accounting as Scope 1 and 2, make up only a small fraction of P&G’s total greenhouse-gas footprint: about 4 million metric tons of carbon dioxide per year.