COLLABORATE TO INNOVATE: THE VITAL ROLE OF R&D IN ACHIEVING NET ZERO

COLLABORATE TO INNOVATE: THE VITAL ROLE OF R&D IN ACHIEVING NET ZERO

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The challenge we face is enormous.?We are over halfway to the 2030 target of achieving the Sustainable Development Goals and yet the pace and scale of change to date has not been enough. According to the UN, we are “woefully off track”. Yet, we are seeing a worrying roll back on Net Zero commitments from governments all around the world, at a time when we need them more than ever.

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In Science There is Hope

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Delivering Net Zero requires a transformation that touches every corner of our economy and society. But science offers us hope. It guides us toward solutions that benefit us all.?

And at the heart of this journey is technological transformation driven by research and development.

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There is no silver bullet. Net Zero will not be driven by any one technology alone. It is at the convergence of multiple disciplines – where ideas collide, blend and evolve – that breakthroughs will occur.?

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The true power of science lies in its ability to bring people from diverse backgrounds and perspectives together. And when collaboration happens, progress does too.

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Collaboration is the catalyst in driving Net Zero innovation forward. ?This means collaboration at a city-wide level, at an international level, and collaboration across our entire value chain.

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Collaboration at a city-wide level

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Achieving Net Zero is not only a goal for countries to aspire to. Change unfolds street by street and community by community. And I am a strong believer in the ability of community-led collaboration to drive real meaningful global change.

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Take, for instance, the city of Hull—a place with great historical significance for Reckitt, where our company was founded 180 years ago. Today, over 2000 colleagues, including half our global R&D workforce, are based in the city at our Reckitt Campus.

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Hull and the Humber region form the UK's largest emitting industrial cluster, making them pivotal in our collective journey towards Net Zero. In fact, achieving the UK's 2050 legal goal will be impossible unless we radically reduce emissions in the Humber.?

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Recognising this imperative, in 2021, we forged a coalition of over 180 local companies, NHS trusts, schools, universities and civil society organisations to accelerate progress towards Net Zero.?

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This partnership, known as the Oh Yes! Net Zero campaign, embodies the principle that no single entity—be it businesses, community groups, or local government—can achieve Net Zero alone. We need a unified effort, with every strand of society playing its part.?

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Crucially, this initiative extends to small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), which make up 80% of Hull’s economy and often find national and international Net Zero targets intimidating. They lack the resources or expertise to implement Net Zero strategies. This is where a company like ours can come in and provide real value.?

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Through the Oh Yes! Net Zero campaign, we have established carbon clinics, providing guidance and support to SMEs as they navigate their path towards sustainability.

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In driving Hull towards Net Zero we are not just positioning the city as a global leader in urban decarbonisation. We are also establishing a model that other cities worldwide can follow.

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If we are to achieve our collective Net Zero ambitions, we need to mobilise many more of these projects.

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Collaboration at an international level

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Achieving meaningful progress toward Net Zero demands a global perspective. We need to think big to make significant changes. International public-private partnerships play a crucial role in mobilising funding and resources towards climate innovation and driving the action we need on a global scale.

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Reckitt is a proud founding member of the Climate Gender Equity Fund which exemplifies the spirit of collaboration. Alongside partners like USAID, Amazon, and Visa Foundation, we're expanding financial inclusion for women-led organisations. By advancing sustainable economic growth at the intersection of climate, gender, and health, we're helping deliver positive change on a global scale.

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Women and girls are integral to driving climate action, serving as catalysts for progress in green and blue economies. Despite their vital role, less than 3% of financing for climate solutions goes to women-led businesses.?

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Investment is key to reversing this trend and unlocking sustainable transformation that can safeguard our planet's health and public well-being. We need to mobilise the financial community and investors to help drive widespread change.

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Collaboration across our entire value chain globally

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Reaching Net Zero requires a whole ecosystem to change, so as well as looking at what we can do out in the world in the communities we operate in, Reckitt is determined to deliver a step change on our own journey to Net Zero.?

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Raw materials, packaging and logistics and retail contribute over 90% of our product footprint. For all three of these elements, collaboration with our external partners is the only way to reduce our carbon footprint.?

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Our Partners to Innovate programme stands as a testament to the invaluable role of collaboration across our value chain. It’s a platform to draw together the global expertise and on the ground insights of our partners, suppliers, manufacturers and consumers in the name of sustainable innovation.

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It is this programme that allowed us to work together with Mondi, a global leader in sustainable packaging and paper, to transform the packaging across our Finish dishwashing products from plastic pouches to paper-based packaging.

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Launched in France last year and with further global roll out plans, once fully implemented, this innovation will help to eliminate more than 2,000 tonnes of plastic every year –equivalent to 50 million 1-litre bottles. It is therefore a key step towards our ambitions to reduce virgin plastic in our packaging by half and ultimately cut our carbon footprint by half by 2030.?

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For everybody - including ourselves - the journey to Net Zero is a huge challenge. It took a confluence of incredible expertise to develop Finish paper-packaging. But the Net Zero transition relies on this kind of ambition, innovation and collaboration being multiplied again and again.

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This is just one example of many that demonstrates the pivotal role of listening to our consumers and working with our partners, suppliers and manufacturers.

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Closing the Gap

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Closing the gap and making progress towards Net Zero won’t be easy. It’s a challenge that has been with us for decades and, though strides have been made, progress has been frustratingly slow.?The future health of the planet relies on our progress.?And that means that our lives – and our children’s lives – rely on progress being made now.?To get there, we all have a role to play.?We need collaboration at every level.?If we work together to address this collective challenge, then we will give ourselves the best chance to achieve the positive outcomes we are aiming for. It will be up to the next generation of leaders to get us there.

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But it is up to us – now – to lead the way.

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