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• Introduction
• The PZ Cussons Plc CSR Committee
• The Environment
• Health and Safety
• Development of staff & employment practices
• Local community and charitable activities
• Product safety and design
• Animal testing
• Everyday, good quality, affordable products
• Financial Performance

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Product safety and design

As an ethical and responsible supplier of consumer products, it is imperative for the Group that our products are safe - for use by our customers, for our employees and for the environment.

In the design of its products, by qualified and experienced chemists, microbiologists and packaging experts, we ensure that the materials which we use meet or exceed all applicable legal requirements (including EU and ASEAN cosmetics directives and other local regulatory requirements specified by bodies such as NAFDAC in Nigeria). We also conform to guidelines and good practice recommendations from various cosmetic industry trade associations such as the UK Cosmetics Toiletries and Perfumery Association (CTPA). In addition, the Group applies internal and self-imposed restrictions on the use of certain materials above and beyond legislative requirements as an additional measure to ensure product safety.

Product safety and risk assessments are conducted by appropriately qualified external toxicologists and, when considered necessary (and with the appropriate safeguards such as ethical committee approval), human safety testing is conducted. Human toxicological and safety aspects of raw materials are taken into consideration in the design process.

In all cases, the potential environmental impact of products, raw materials and packaging is considered in the design process. Where practical, products are designed to reduce the use of energy and water and to utilise materials which have feed stocks from natural renewable sources. Use of packaging which is recyclable or which has reduced environmental impact is also encouraged.

In particular, PZ Cussons has worked with a world leading provider of Project Lifecycle Management (PLM) software to develop an integrated solution which manages product development from initial concept, through product launch in the marketplace and to the end of its lifecycle. This structured approach ensures timely completion of projects, minimises costs and, importantly, ensures that all legal, regulatory and environmental requirements are understood and met. PLM has been implemented across most of the Group and it is envisaged that it will be established in all operations by 2010.

The PZ Cussons World Class Manufacturing programme is applied to our own production facilities and this sets specified targets for good manufacturing practices to internationally recognised levels such as ISO 22716. Comprehensive quality assurance and quality control programmes are in place in our manufacturing operations to ensure compliance with set and safe standards as specified within the PLM process. We also audit our suppliers to ensure that their production facilities, procedures and products are of a consistent and appropriate quality and meet our Group standards.

In the highly unlikely event of a quality problem being identified externally to our supply chain, we have established material traceability and Group specified product recall procedures to ensure that any issue can be promptly and safely addressed.

PZ Cussons monitors the world regulatory environment to ensure that we take appropriate action at the correct time to maintain product and process compliance. We have assigned considerable resource to ensuring that we fully comply with the requirements of EU regulations such as REACh (the Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals) which seeks to provide an improved level of protection of human health and the environment through the responsible use of chemicals.

In addition to the initiatives set out above, during 2009:

• PZ Cussons UK developed and launched Morning Fresh Optima which has been reformulated to remove petroleum based detergents and use materials which are derived from renewable resources. Additionally and without adversely affecting performance, the levels of active substances have been significantly reduced resulting in reductions in chemical usage by over 1,600 tonnes
• our business in Nigeria has reformulated premium detergent laundry powders to reduce phosphate levels and thereby reduce consumption of chemicals and emissions into the environment without compromising product performance
• in Poland, the entire washing powder portfolio was re-engineered to remove phosphates completely and replace them with zeolite, a more environmentally-friendly alternative. In this region, the Helcom Baltic Sea action plan and the EU Baltic Sea strategy both have a long-term aim to phase out phosphate use in detergents to combat eutrophication (artificial enrichment of the sea's nutrients which may lead to algal blooms). PZ Cussons proactively implemented this initiative to fulfil its environmental commitments well in advance of any potential regulation
• the Minerva business in Greece has redesigned its plastic bottles for edible oil products, reducing the amount of PET material used by up to 15% depending on bottle size. This has reduced environmental impact at the same time as delivering substantial cost savings to the business.