The UK has experienced its second warmest June on record and is now in the fourth heatwave of the summer, with extreme heat testing infrastructure, communities, and businesses. For those in the consumer goods sector, these conditions are a reminder that climate change is already affecting the systems on which our sector depends, from failing refrigeration and lower crop yields to mounting pressure on electricity networks.
Yet in some cases, cost pressures and supply chain disruption have pushed sustainability down the boardroom and political agendas. For us at Essity, it remains a priority.
Losing sight of long-term sustainability commitments is not only detrimental for the environmental agenda, but it also weakens business and economic resilience. Fmcg companies depend on reliable supplies of raw materials, energy, packaging, transport and water. When any part of that chain is disrupted, the effects quickly reach factories, distribution centres, supermarket shelves, and, ultimately, end consumers.
The consumer goods sector has both an outsized responsibility and an unusual ability to act. The Consumer Goods Forum estimates that the sector accounts for up to 60% of global emissions across its footprint, spanning sourcing, manufacturing, packaging, distribution, retail and disposal. Progress will therefore depend on the entire supply chain working together, rather than simply passing the responsibility along.
The UK’s net zero economy generated £105bn in gross value added in 2025, with its jobs producing 48% more economic value per worker than the national average. Regulation should help manufacturers capture that opportunity through clear policy and support for clean reindustrialisation.
For business leaders in the consumer goods sector, the case is equally practical. Cleaner operations can reduce exposure to volatile energy and raw-material costs, strengthen supply chains and protect UK competitiveness. They will also need to move fast: the EU’s Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation applies from August 2026 and is the first of many regulatory shifts towards a more circular economy.
Fmcg companies investing in cleaner energy, circular production and more resilient supply chains will be better placed as costs, regulation and climate disruption intensify.
At Essity, this thinking shaped our £30m-plus investment in Unifibres, a recycled fibre facility at our Prudhoe Mill in Northumberland. Opened earlier this year, it takes Essity’s total UK recycling fibre capacity to around 190,000 tonnes annually. It is clean reindustrialisation in practice, modernising an established British manufacturing site while retaining industrial capability and skills in the north east.
Meaningful progress will depend on measurable improvements like this across the value chain. Government can create the conditions for investment, but the grocery and fmcg sector should not wait. Businesses that act now will be better prepared for tighter regulation, greater disruption and changing expectations.
This summer’s heat should act as a fire underneath the chairs of boardroom execs. It is well beyond time we, as an industry, prioritised a cleaner and more resilient future.
Nicola Conway is commercial director for the UK & ROI at Essity
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