Colgate-Palmolive Co.

Colgate-Palmolive Company is a consumer goods company with headquarters in New York City that has created recognizable brands such as Colgate, Palmolive, Softsoap, Irish Spring, Ajax, Fabuloso, and Hill's Pet Nutrition. Due to the nature of the production process, water plays an essential role in the operations of the company, which determines its importance for the ESG performance analysis.

The company's Policy states that its water footprint comprises the company's suppliers, production facilities, and the water consumption associated with the use of its products by consumers. In 2002, the company decreased the water consumption per unit by almost half since the beginning of the century. The company uses water responsibly by applying efficient cleaning solutions in its production facilities, reverse osmosis, automated water treatment, rainwater harvesting, water submetering, and water recycling whenever possible. For instance, the company's factory in Guangzhou, China, has incorporated a water recycling system in 2025. It has been designed to treat rainwater and other water sources, which allows redirecting the water to the facility's cooling towers, thus reducing the water withdrawal from municipal sources by 44,000 cubic meters in 2025.

Finally, Colgate continues to develop products with a reduced water footprint. For instance, in 2025, the company introduced a new product, Fabuloso 10X, which is a concentrated cleaner that comes in a 12-ounce bottle instead of 16,9-ounce. The new packaging reduces the amount of plastic by 83% and water by approximately 25%, making the production more sustainable and transporting cleaner easier.

One of the biggest challenges in assessing Colgate's ESG performance is the comparability of the water-footprint data. Specifically, while the 2025 report shows the range of initiatives the company has undertaken to reduce its impact on freshwater sources, the water data table reflects changes only through 2024. Moreover, the report does not include information on water withdrawals in water-stressed areas, water recycled at all facilities, and water replenished or restored.