Colgate-Palmolive Highlights 100 Years of Impact in Mexico

Colgate-Palmolive celebrated 100 years of operations in Mexico, highlighting a long-term strategy that combines market growth with social impact and sustainability commitments. For more than a century, the company has supplied consumer products across income segments while developing education and community programs that have become part of its local footprint.

Riccardo Ricci, executive vice president and general manager, Colgate-Palmolive Mexico, said the company measures leadership beyond market share. “Leadership is not measured only by participation, but by responsibility,” Ricci said. “In 100 years, Colgate-Palmolive has not only offered high-quality products, it has also educated new generations in oral health and helped improve living conditions for millions of Mexicans.”

Much of this progress has come through the company’s Bright Smiles, Bright Futures initiative, launched in Mexico in 1991, which focuses on oral health education in communities with limited access to services. Ricci described education as the core of the company’s social approach, calling it “the foundation of our impact and our commitment in Mexico and globally.”

Sustainability is another pillar of Colgate-Palmolive’s strategy in Mexico. The company developed the first recyclable toothpaste tube and shared the technology with competitors to help reduce plastic waste. It has set targets on plastic reduction, water efficiency, and renewable energy. Its Guanajuato facility — the largest Colgate-Palmolive plant globally — is certified as True Zero Waste, with more than 90% of its waste recycled.

Colgate has also committed to the Ellen MacArthur Foundation’s 2030 Plastics Agenda for Business, a five-year action plan urging companies to accelerate efforts to eliminate plastic waste and advance a circular economy. The agenda focuses on three main levers: collective advocacy to shape ambitious policy, collaborative action to share risks and innovations, and aligned individual action to strengthen internal practices and inspire broader market transformation.

The framework builds on a decade of progress from the Global Commitment initiative, launched in 2018 by the Ellen MacArthur Foundation and the UN Environment Program (UNEP). Companies — including Colgate-Palmolive — representing about 20% of the global plastic packaging market, have collectively avoided 14 million tons of virgin plastic. Participants have also tripled their use of recycled content and eliminated billions of problematic packaging items.

Colgate-Palmolive’s centennial celebrations included several community milestones. In partnership with Operation Smile, the company carried out 100 corrective surgeries in Puebla. The alliance, active in Mexico for more than 15 years, has supported over 7,500 children. Ricci said participating in these programs allows employees to see the broader impact of their work beyond production and sales.

Looking ahead, company leadership said its priorities for the next century include expanding accessible innovation, accelerating sustainability goals, and maintaining a culture centered on inclusion and community engagement. “Innovation, sustainability, and social commitment are not separate paths,” Ricci said. “They are one direction.”