May 7, 2008 - Global conglomerate Colgate-Palmolive is reporting steady declines in energy and water use per ton of product over the past ten years despite a 62% spike in sales over the same period, according to the company's latest sustainability report.

The amount of energy Colgate-Palmolive requires to produce a ton of product is down 28.5% since 1998. Over the same time period, water use per ton of product dipped 44.3%. Wastewater generation (again, per ton of product) has dipped nearly 22% since 2002, the first year for which figures are available.

Greenhouse gas emissions are up slightly overall (3.9%) since 2002, the first year for which figures are available, but the company cut emissions on a per-ton basis by about 14% over the same period. Colgate-Palmolive has set a new target to reduce emissions per ton of production by a further 11% by 2010.

The company's 2007 sustainability report, based on guidelines from the Global Reporting Initiative, is available here. View key social, environmental, and financial performance indicators here.