Procter & Gamble’s Campaign Sets Guinness World Record

• Encourages sustainability habits among consumers
• ‘The Tree of Hope’ campaign asked consumers to make pledges to lower their environmental impact with more than 1,800 promising to change

DUBAI: In an initiative launched in early June, Procter & Gamble (P&G), in partnership with a key retail partner, launched the ‘The Tree of Hope’ campaign, aimed at encouraging shoppers to pledge to change their behaviours for a more sustainable future.

The campaign, an extension of P&G’s #ForestsforGood programme, aimed to raise awareness of environmental issues and highlighted actions that can be taken towards leading a greener, more environmentally friendly lifestyle, while breaking a Guinness World Record and making pledges towards a sustainable environment.

“At P&G, we are committed to help create a better world for future generations by driving sustainability initiatives across our brands and operations,” said ElMehdi Chad, Vice President, UAE and Levant, at P&G. “We realize that each action, no matter how small, will have an impact on the world around us, and we are therefore proud to have launched this in the UAE to encourage consumers to make simple, yet impactful changes, in their daily lives for the benefit of the environment.”

‘The Tree of Hope’ campaign asked consumers to make a series of pledges to change their daily routine in order to mitigate their own environmental footprint. These include using reusable water bottles and bags over plastic alternatives, reducing energy consumption at home, favouring walking over driving, and promising to educate themselves further on sustainable practices. The campaign resulted in more than 1,800 consumers taking the pledge across key retail partner outlets in the UAE, a new Guinness World Record for the ‘largest online video chain of people passing and using sticky notes’.

Sustainability is a core ethos for P&G, with P&G’s commitment to sustainability underscored by its ‘Ambition 2030’ strategy; a strategy that supports its brands’ ability to provide irresistible superiority that is sustainable to improve lives now and for generations to come. At its foundation is improving the livelihoods of people across its operations, supply chain, and the communities that it serves. At the heart of Ambition 2030 is four science-based pillars — Climate, Waste, Water and Nature, with initiatives such as ‘The Tree of Hope’ engaging communities directly in order to make a positive difference to both the planet and its people.

The #ForestsforGood programme is one of P&G’s most ambitious sustainability initiatives in the region. In the UAE alone, an expansive partnership with key partners over the last several years, saw multiple community-driven forestation programmes implemented in the country, with thousands of trees and saplings planted as a result.