P&G's Chief Sustainability Officer Virginie Helias's journey to sustainability began with her being faced with a challenge when she was leading the detergent business in Europe in the 2000s with their lead brand Ariel down for three years in a row. Virginie and her team discovered that the leading messaging that connected with consumers was the fact that Ariel could wash clothes in low temperature leading to lower electricity bills.

In 2018, Cape Town, South Africa, was hurtling toward a doomsday scenario. City officials projected the city would run out of water on April 12, 2018, deemed "Day Zero."

The city managed to prevent Day Zero, but not without significant cutbacks in water usage. Some women even resorted to cutting their hair because it was too difficult to wash with water restrictions in place.

For Fast Company‘s inaugural Best Workplaces for Innovators list, we set out to find companies that empower all employees—not just top executives, scientists, or coders—to create new products, improve operations, and take risks. We searched for businesses where innovation isn’t just a buzzword but a part of the value system and culture.

A new zero-waste e-commerce platform called Loop started testing in New York City and Paris in May, so many residents in those cities no longer have to worry about stacking up empty detergent containers and shampoo bottles in the recycling bin.

As plastic’s harmful impact on the environment becomes more widely understood, companies like P&G are rethinking how they can be more sustainable through platforms like Loop that encourage reusable materials.