P&G appoints Craig Arnold to board
Procter & Gamble announced on Monday the appointment of Craig Arnold to its board of directors, effective June 9.
A former chairman and chief executive officer of Eaton Corporation, Arnold led the company from 2016 to May 2025, incorporating renewable energy solutions and digital technologies into Eaton's portfolio, as well as driving significant revenue and margin expansion.
Prior to being CEO, he served as the company's president and chief operating officer, overseeing strategy and operation, and from 2009 to 2015, he served as vice chairman and chief operating officer of Eaton's Industrial Sector.
Arnold began his career at General Electric, where he held roles across the appliances, plastics and lighting businesses, and in territories such as Asia, Europe, the Middle East and North America.
In addition to P&G, Arnold currently serves as the lead independent board director for Medtronic, and is on the board of the United Way of Greater Cleveland and the Salvation Army of Greater Cleveland.
"Craig's depth of global experience, expertise managing diversified portfolios, and proven track record in innovation management and operational excellence will contribute valuable perspective to our efforts to better serve consumers and customers and grow markets," said Jon Moeller, P&G's chairman of the board, president, and chief executive officer.
Earlier this mont, the U.S. consumer goods giant said it plans to cut 7,000 jobs over the next two years, as it battles an uncertain spending environment, hurt in part by U.S. tariffs.
The company said it also plans to exit some product categories and brands in certain markets, including some potential divestitures, as part of the broader two-year restructuring plan.
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So it's not adapted to agriculture and livestock farming, even if we're trying to adapt it... The difficulty is that there are lots of different types of operation. We have to create the measurement tools and collect the data, which is much more complex. With Woolmark, we invest in these tools and follow technologies developed by start-ups to improve the situation. Because the biggest impact is on the farms. But that's also where all the potential lies in protecting water resources and biodiversity. FNW: In concrete terms, has this sharing of information improved the ratings of wool products via Ecobalyse? DP: Yes, clearly. As they didn't have any data, they worked with the information they did have: an impact study on sheep in the United States which served as the basis for calculating all wool products. But for textiles, 85% of Merino wool comes from Australia. In Australia, sheep farming is extensive, with 6 to 8 animals per hectare in semi-freedom. So the impact is not at all the same. With our data, this reduced the impact in the final results. The challenge now is to finance regular data collection and to go into more detail. Because this commits the sector to improvement and can be promoted to customers. FNW: Can this be applied to other natural materials? DP: Each sector can have its own elements. For example, American cotton has all these data. The key point is that it's not just a matter of collecting data. It has to commit the industry, breeders, farmers and polyester producers to doing better, and consumers to consuming better. Otherwise, it's pointless transparency. It's necessarily a political issue. The aim is not to point the finger at industries and see people lose their jobs. The aim is to have a tool that enables us to optimize, to be more intelligent in manufacturing and consumption. FNW: Except that, despite the improvement, wool is still not rated as highly as polyester... 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There's a difference between accessible fashion and an industry that's unbridled on environmental and social issues. We're going to have to find a way of ensuring that Europe's affluent classes don't over-consume low-priced products. Which is the case today."
