Sustainability

Our integrated TENA Solutions helps to ensure that you are always using the right product, improving continence care and lowering your carbon footprint at the same time.

Improving care reduces waste

Our wide range of products offer optimum comfort and fit, preventing leakages and reducing the frequency of changes. By choosing the right product for each need, you can avoid the overuse of products, reduce waste and laundry, and ultimately lower the overall environmental impact and cost of continence care.

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Proven commitment

Essity is dedicated to working towards more sustainable practices, which is why we are consciously transparent in sharing our ecological footprint. Our commitment to sustainability is widely recognised and we are proud of our many awards for our efforts in supporting a better environment.

Read more about our environmental commitment

Commitment to the environment

As part of our on-going commitment to the environment, our Eco Actions are the various steps and processes we undertake to develop more sustainable products and services.

Since the 1990s, we have measured and reduced the total environmental impact of our products using the Life Cycle Assessment (LCA). LCA calculates the sum of all greenhouse gases emitted during a product’s full life cycle, otherwise known as the carbon footprint.

Our LCA looks at every step of production, from sourcing materials right through to disposal. By evaluating each product’s carbon footprint, we strive to make the best environmental choices available.

Driving change

We are proud of the progress we have already made and continue to set ourselves challenging goals for the future.

Between 2008 and 2014 in Europe, we successfully reduced the carbon footprint of TENA Flex by 7% and TENA Pants by 18%. (Third party verification by IVL, Swedish Environmental Research Institute).

To ensure we keep driving change, we have set a series of goals: 

• Develop more sustainable solutions with improved product design and efficient and effective use of materials

• Ensure that the raw materials we use are environmentally sourced

• Reduce product and packaging waste

• Reduce the carbon emissions caused by fossil fuels, electricity and heating by 20% between 2005 and 2020

• Continuously reduce waste in our factories

• Partner with our suppliers to reduce carbon emissions across the entire supply chain

Responsibly sourced materials

At TENA, we understand that the choices we make today will affect the environment and our lives tomorrow.

Because the largest environmental impact in the life cycle of TENA products is caused by the production of materials, we ensure that the materials we use are responsibly and environmentally sourced. Our suppliers have to meet strict standards, upheld by regular audits to ensure quality, product safety, social responsibility and environmental performance.

One of the materials we use to make our products is wood fibre; a natural and renewable resource, which is only sourced from responsibly managed forests.

Innovating for need

When developing new products or improving our existing range, we always begin by identifying individual and unmet needs. All of our products are rigorously tested with end users and caregivers to ensure they deliver the desired benefits. By evolving our range to meet specific needs, we reduce material and manufacturing waste, whilst continually striving for better continence care for all.

Leaner, cleaner production

At TENA, we use state-of-the-art technology to ensure our manufacturing processes are as efficient and use as little energy as possible. Most of our factories have received international environmental ISO14001 certification, and we are preparing our newer production sites for certification.

We constantly work to improve our production processes, recover excess materials and recycle packaging and our efforts are paying off. In Europe, we have reduced the amount of landfill waste by nearly 70% during the last six years.

Optimised product usage

Our wide product range means that you’ll be able to find the right TENA product whatever the need, from occasional drops and dribbles to heavier leaks and surges. TENA products are designed with an anatomical fit and optimal absorbency, giving increased leakage security and odour control.

By choosing an effective continence care solution, product changes are less frequent which improves both your budget and our planet. As they are specially designed to address urine leakage, they are much more effective at whisking away moisture and odour than conventional feminine care products. This also means that users can select a smaller, more comfortable product, which in turn uses less material.