Developing the Sustainable Living Plan and Beyond

Challenge:

Unilever’s products such as Lifebuoy soap, Lipton tea and Persil and Omo laundry detergents are used by two billion people on any given day. The company has a long history of responsible business practices since the founders started the business in the 1890s.

In 2010, the company decided to step up its commitments as part of a new strategy to double the size of the business while reducing its environmental footprint and increasing its positive social impact.

Solution:

Corporate Citizenship has worked with Unilever continuously since the late 1990’s. Our work has included: developing corporate policies on issues such as human rights and the sustainable sourcing of raw materials; advising on economic impact studies; and support for its global programme of corporate community investment.

We helped to develop and launch the Unilever Sustainable Living Plan, assisting with stress-testing the strategy, advising on metrics and key opinion former engagement. 

Impact:

The Unilever Sustainable Living Plan has been widely acclaimed within the field of corporate responsibility and viewed as the new blueprint for corporate sustainability strategy. Unilever has topped its industry group in the Dow Jones Sustainability Index (DJSI) for two decades and has been voted by peers as the highest global leader in sustainability over many years (Globescan 2012).