Consumer goods giant Proctor & Gamble (P&G) has announced an ambitious expansion of its sustainability targets, in addition to signing a new print services contract that, it hopes, will massively reduce its paper consumption.

The company’s latest move follows on from the publication of its five sustainable strategies in 2007, relating to areas such as sustainable innovation products (SIP), carbon emissions and water consumption.

P&G’s revised goals for 2012 include a $50bn target for the sale of SIPs – a massive $30bn increase on the figure set in 2007; a 20% reduction (per unit of production) in carbon dioxide emissions, energy consumption, water usage and disposed waste from plants, a doubling of the 2007 target; and the delivery of three billion litres of clean water through the company’s Children’s Safe Drinking Water program.

The revised targets do, according to the company’s vice president of global sustainability, Len Sauers, illustrate P&G’s continuing commitment to sustainability.

“P&G’s long term, disciplined approach to sustainability enables the company to continuously assess progress and establish targets that further improve results,” said Sauers. “Our “no tradeoffs” approach to innovation means consumers do not have to choose between the performance and price they expect with being sustainable.”

P&G’s latest deal with Xerox appears to mirror that approach. The new five-year contract will see Xerox manage P&G print shops and both office and home based work environments, in addition to creating a new web portal for the procurement of equipment and consumables.

The company claims that the tie-in could see print-related power usage fall by as much as 30%, as well as significantly reducing P&G’s reliance on paper by 20-30%.

“Simplifying our global printing structure helps increase reliability and efficiency, transforming the way we work,” said Filippo Passerini, chief information officer and president at P&G global business services division. “This innovative initiative is one step on the journey to ‘go digital’ and make our workplace more sustainable.”