Unilever
CEF Lead Executives
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REBECAA MARMOTList Item 1
Chief Sustainability Officer
Rebecca Marmot is responsible for driving the company’s overall sustainability strategy and transformational change on priority areas of Unilever’s sustainable living plan (USLP): climate change and eliminating deforestation; sustainable agriculture and smallholder farmers; water, sanitation and hygiene; opportunities for women; plastics and the circular economy; impact finance; and health and wellbeing. As Chief Sustainability Officer, Rebecca also leads the next chapter of Unilever’s sustainability journey beyond the USLP. Prior to this role, Rebecca was Global VP of Sustainability at Unilever where she led the global advocacy, policy and partnerships team, heading engagement with external stakeholders and building the optimal enabling environment to drive sustainable business. Under her leadership, Unilever played a role in major sustainability milestones such as the 2015 Paris Agreement and the creation of the 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals – otherwise known as the Global Goals – positioning Unilever at the forefront of sustainable business. Before joining Unilever, Rebecca served as Global External Affairs Director at L’Oréal and in External Affairs at the UK Department for Trade and Industry. Here she was responsible for stakeholder management on UK government projects. Rebecca is a Non-Executive Director at Water and Sanitation for the Urban Poor.
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THOMAS LINDGARD
Global Sustainability Director - Climate & Environment
Thomas Lingard has worked in a variety of sustainability and corporate responsibility roles at Unilever since 2010. Previously he was Deputy Director of the environmental policy think tank Green Alliance. Mr. Lingard has served on a range of advisory boards including Oxfam, The Partnering Initiative and the STEPS Centre (Social, Technological & Environmental Pathways to Sustainability) at the Institute of Development Studies. He represents Unilever at the World Business Council for Sustainable Development and is a member of the World Economic Forum’s Global Agenda Council on Governance for Sustainability. He read Philosophy and Modern Languages at Durham University and holds an Advanced Diploma in Sustainability and a Post-Graduate Certificate in Cross-Sector Partnerships for Sustainable Development from Cambridge University and a Masters in Development Management from the Open University.
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KRISTINA FRIEDMAN
Head of Sustainability - North America
Before Unilever, Kristina was head of global environmental, social, and governance strategy at PayPal. She has over 15 years of experience working in the financial and government sectors providing guidance and solutions, including a decade of environmental expertise. Prior to PayPal, Friedman was a lead ESG research analyst at Calvert Research and Management. There, she focused on corporate performance and shareholder advocacy to improve sustainability programs. Prior to this, Friedman worked for the US Environmental Protection Agency, US House of Representatives, and Citigroup. She received her bachelor’s in finance from Virginia Commonwealth University and her master’s of public policy from Georgetown University.
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MICHELLE SMOLARSKI
Sustainability Manager, North America
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ARIFA AKTHER
Global Sustainability Assistant Manager - Climate & Environment
Leads the development and implementation of Unilever’s external policy and advocacy activities related to ending deforestation. Arifa started the "Future Leaders Programme" in Sales - Category Management before moving to the GST - Health and Well-being team and working across various topics, including WASH (Water, Sanitation and hygiene), Mental Health, Nutrition and Food Systems, and responding to Disasters and Emergencies. Arifa graduated from The University of Warwick (2019) studying Politics, International Studies and Global Sustainable Development.
Sustainability Goals
Sustainability Goals
- Share the carbon footprint of every product sold
- Apply €1 billion ($1.1 billion) Climate & Nature Fund to support the delivery of its commitments on climate action and to protect and regenerate nature (over €200 million spent and committed by the end of 2022)
- Halve the GHG impact of its products lifecycle by 2030 (baseline 2010; reduced lifecycle emissions by 19% as of 2023)
- Achieve zero emissions across operations by 2030 (68% emissions reduction as of 2022)
- Achieve 39% absolute reduction in total Scope 3 emissions by 2030
- Reduce absolute Scope 3 energy and industrial emissions by 42% by 2030
- Reduce absolute Scope 3 forest, land and agriculture (FLAG) emissions by 30.3% by 2030 (both 2021 baseline)
- Replace fossil fuel derived carbon with renewable or recycled carbon in all our cleaning and laundry product formulations by 2030
- Achieve net-zero emissions across the value chain by 2039
Past Goals Achieved
- Help more than a billion people to improve their health and hygiene (achieved in 2019)
Latest Sustainability Reporting
Annual Report and Accounts 2023
(March 2024)
Highlights
- In 2023, reduced operational GHG emissions by 74% (2015 baseline).
- Reduced emissions from ice cream cabinets (which make up 4% of total GHG emissions) 22% in 2023 versus 2022.
- 92% of electricity came from renewable sources in 2023.
- 97.5% of supply chain for palm oil, paper and board, tea, soy, and cocoa was deforestation-free by the end of 2023.
- Reduced operational food waste by 30% in 2023 since 2019.
- In 2023, reduced virgin plastic usage by 18% (2019 baseline).
- Unilever’s Climate & Nature Fund committed €300 million ($324 million) by the end of 2023, helping to protect and regenerate 300,000 hectares since 2021 (up from 100,000 hectares in 2022).
- Increased gender diversity in senior management from 31% female in 2022 to 36% female in 2023.
- Spent €1.1 billion ($1.2 billion) with diverse suppliers in 2023, more than double its spend in 2021.
Recent News
2024
Announced SBTi has approved the company’s 2030 Scope 3 emissions targets, including reducing absolute Scope 3 energy and industrial emissions by 42% by 2030; and reducing absolute Scope 3 forest, land and agriculture (FLAG) emissions by 30.3% by 2030 (both 2021 baseline). Together, these represent a 39% absolute reduction in total Scope 3 emissions. Unilever also updated its Climate Action Transition Plan, which guides its actions to lower emissions by 2030. (April 2024)
Unilever is calling on industry associations to better report their climate policy engagement and, in some cases, align their positions with Paris Agreement targets efforts, after analyzing the climate advocacy efforts of 27 associations. Unilever’s review found that eight have no public record of meaningful climate policy engagement with governments, four have low engagement, and eight are misaligned with Unilever in one or more of its priority policy areas. The report details actions Unilever is taking and plans to take, including working with associations to revisit their climate policy positions, establish climate subcommittees, and increase transparency around lobbying activities. (March 2024)
Announced new emissions reduction targets, including a 100% absolute reduction in Scope 1 and 2 emissions by 2030 (baseline 2015); a 42% absolute reduction in Scope 3 energy and industrial emissions (baseline 2021); and a 30.3% absolute reduction in Scope 3 forest, land, and agriculture emissions (baseline 2021). (March 2024)
CORPORATE KNIGHTS — Released its 20th annual Global 100 List, ranking the world’s most sustainable companies along 25 indicators, out of 6,000 public companies with revenues of over $1 billion. In 2024, top-ranked firms allocated 55% of their investments to sustainable projects, up from 47% last year, and compared to just 17% of investments of publicly traded companies with more than $1 billion in revenue. The top ranked company was Sims Ltd, an Australian waste management company that moved up from #14 in 2023. CEF Members in the Global 100 include: Schneider Electric (#7), Trane Technologies (#23), Cisco (#64), HP Inc. (#67), Apple (#71), Unilever (#76), Hewlett Packard Enterprise (#81), and Prologis (#87). (Jan 2024)
2023
Is piloting the production of synthetic soda ash with a “near-zero” GHG footprint (soda ash is a key ingredient in laundry powder and one of the most-used chemical compounds in the world). Unilever’s Indian subsidiary is collaborating with chemical companies TFL and Fertiglobe to make soda ash with ammonia made from green hydrogen, and with boilers run on biofuels. The CO2 produced by the boilers is also captured and used in the manufacturing process. The pilot will produce enough low-carbon soda ash for about 6,000 metric tons of laundry powder. (Nov 2023)
Will grant a free non-exclusive license to the ice cream industry for 12 patents it holds that will reduce GHG emissions from last-mile ice cream freezer cabinets. This technology will allow storage in warmer freezers (-12°C instead of -18°C), reducing energy use around 25%. This comes after successfully piloting the lower-energy freezers in Germany and Indonesia. More information about obtaining a license can be found here. (Nov 2023)
Unilever CEO signals radical shift in sustainability agenda
(GreenBiz article) — Under new Unilever CEO Hein Schumacher, sustainability will become part of a composite score by which brand managers will evaluate performance. (Nov 2023)
Regenerating Together (SAI Platform) — This framework offers a “globally aligned definition of regenerative agriculture,” and practical ways for farmers to implement measurable regenerative practices. Over 20 leading Fast-Moving Consumer Goods companies and farmer cooperatives have developed and tested this framework across their global supply chain. And over 170 SAI Platform member companies have committed to the framework, including CEF members Archer Daniels Midland, PepsiCo, and Unilever. (Sept 2023)
More than 250 companies and organizations, coordinated by the Global Renewables Alliance, issued an open letter calling on world leaders to agree at COP28 on a global target to triple renewable electricity capacity to at least 11,000 GW by 2030. The companies, representing a market value of more than $12 trillion, include CEF members Amazon, Apple, Google, Microsoft, PepsiCo, Schneider Electric, and Unilever. (Sept 2023)
INFLUENCEMAP — Released its 2023 Global Leaders list identifying 27 companies globally that have achieved best practices in climate policy advocacy, including: engaging positively, and actively, aligning climate policy with science-based pathways to achieve Paris goals, and not demonstrating a “highly negative” indirect influence through industry associations. 16 of 27 are headquartered in Europe, six in Japan, and five in the U.S. CEF members in the list include Apple, Salesforce, Trane Technologies, and Unilever. (Sept 2023)
DOVE — Unilever brand Dove launched a new initiative, the Dove Nature Regeneration Project, in partnership with the Rimba Collective, a consumer goods manufacturers’ sustainability collaboration. This project aims to protect and restore 123,000 acres (49,800 hectares) of forests over 5 years, while supporting 8,000 people in local communities through job creation, and access to education, healthcare, clean water, and sanitation. (July 2023)
The Open for Business Coalition, made up of 34 global companies, denounced anti-LGBTQ legislation passed by Uganda's parliament last week, warning it would curb investment flows, deter tourists, undermine companies’ ability to hire a diverse workforce, and damage the country's economy. The legislation criminalizes identifying as gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender or queer, and imposes the death penalty for “aggravated homosexuality.” The coalition includes CEF members Dow, Google, JP Morgan Chase, Mastercard, McKinsey & Co., Meta, Microsoft, and Unilever. (April 2023)
In a letter to the North Carolina governor and General Assembly, 22 companies, universities and trade associations urged elected officials to consider policies and programs that will increase access to cost-effective, clean energy technologies. The signatories also affirmed their support of North Carolina’s goal to reduce emissions by 70% by 2030 and achieve 100% carbon-free electricity by 2050. Companies include CEF members Trane Technologies and Unilever. (March 2023)
CLOSED LOOP PARTNERS (CLP) — Announced that six leading companies, including CEF members Microsoft, PepsiCo, and Unilever, as well as Nestlé, SK Group, and Starbucks, have invested in Circular Services, the largest privately held recycling company in the U.S., with efforts to bolster recovery rates in packaging and e-waste. This brings total investments to nearly $1 billion (with $700 million initially invested in 2022 by Brookfield Asset Management). (March 2023)
International Collaboration on Cosmetics Safety (ICCS) — Launched by more than 35 cosmetics manufacturers and suppliers, industry associations and animal protection organizations, ICCS will support animal-free cosmetics and personal care product and ingredient innovation by funding rigorous, scientific evaluation of new animal-free safety assessment approaches. It will share the results of these evaluation activities with cosmetic and chemical regulators and fund education and training activities to help build confidence in animal-free safety assessment approaches. CEF members include BASF, Johnson & Johnson, Procter & Gamble, and Unilever. (Feb 2023)
Flue2Chem Project (Unilever, Society of Chemical Industry (SCI), and others) — Fifteen businesses, universities, and NGOs, spearheaded by Unilever and SCI, have started a two year, £5.4 million ($6.5 million) project in the UK aimed at converting industrial CO2 emissions into sustainable materials for use in consumer products. Along with producing a more sustainable feedstock for products, such as household cleaning materials, the project aims to demonstrate how the UK could reduce 15-20 million metric tons of CO2 emissions annually, through the reduction of imports of carbon containing feedstocks. The partners include businesses across the supply chain, and include CEF members Unilever, BASF, and Procter & Gamble. (Feb 2023)
CORPORATE KNIGHTS — Released its 2023 Global 100 List, ranking the world’s most sustainable companies along 25 indicators, out of 6,000 public companies with revenues of over $1 billion. The top list has outperformed the MSCI All Country World Index on an annual basis for seven of the past 11 years. The top spot went to Schnitzer Steel Industries, a steel recycler that increased energy productivity by 74%, water productivity by 69%, and carbon productivity by 55% in 2021. CEF Members in the Global 100 include: Schneider Electric (#7), Alphabet (#26), Ecolab (#30), Unilever (#38), HP (#39), Cisco (#48), Hewlett Packard Enterprise (#67), and Apple (#73). (Jan 2023)
End-to-End GHG Reporting of Logistics Operations
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This new guidance, released by Smart Freight Centre and WBCSD, in partnership with over 30 companies, advances the quantification and sharing of logistics emissions and supports the logistics industry as they move toward net-zero. The guidance is designed to enable companies to better understand and track their logistics emissions on a granular operational level and to quantify the footprint of end-to-end logistics emissions, from supplier to final customer. It builds upon and complements two existing frameworks, the Smart Freight Centre’s Global Logistics Emissions Council Framework 2.0 (for logistics emissions) and WBCSD’s Pathfinder Framework (for product life cycle emissions).
Participating CEF members include Amazon, Dow, Siemens, and Unilever.
(Jan 2023)
2022
The Earthshot Prize announced the five winners of its second annual prize. These include: Mukuru Clean Stoves in Kenya; Kheyti, providing solutions to smallholder farmers in India; Indigenous Women of the Great Barrier Reef working to protect the reef and region; Notpla, a UK packaging startup that uses seaweed; and 44.01, a CCS company in Oman that works to bind CO2 in rock. They will each receive a prize of £1 million ($1.2 million) and tailored support from the Earthshot Prize Global Alliance—which includes CEF members Bloomberg, Microsoft, and Unilever, as well as Bezos Earth Fund, Bloomberg Philanthropies, and the Mastercard Center for Inclusive Growth—to help scale their innovative and technological climate solutions. (Dec 2022)
A coalition of 44 companies wrote a letter to the EU Commission, calling on the Commission to make all new freight trucks zero-emissions by 2035 “to fully replace the fossil-powered fleet in time for the EU to reach climate neutrality by 2050” (with a 5-year exemption for vocational trucks). It also asked to increase the 2030 CO2 reduction target to 65% and add a new 2027 reduction target of 30%. The companies also called on the Commission to finalize targets for charging and refueling infrastructure for heavy-duty vehicles as quickly as possible. CEF members PepsiCo, Siemens, and Unilever are part of the coalition. (Dec 2022)
Collective Action and Investment in Landscape Initiatives (The Consumer Goods Forum’s Forest Positive Coalition of Action) — This new report advocates for corporate investment in production landscapes worldwide to combat commodity-driven deforestation, forest conversion, and degradation while promoting inclusion and improving the livelihoods of local communities. It shares insights from the experiences of the Coalition’s 21 manufacturer and retailer members, and calls for Coalition members and other companies to invest in initiatives in these landscapes. CEF members PepsiCo, Procter & Gamble, and Unilever are part of this coalition. (Nov 2022)
ACTION DECLARATION ON CLIMATE POLICY ENGAGEMENT — More than 50 global companies, with almost $900 billion in annual revenues, committed to ensuring that their climate policy engagement, and that of their industry associations, helps address climate change, rather than stall it. The declaration also includes the monitoring and disclosing of climate policy alignment for signatory companies and their major industry and trade associations. CEF member signatories include: Ecolab, Hewlett Packard Enterprise, Schneider Electric, Trane Technologies, and Unilever. (Nov 2022)
Incentives for Scope 3 supply chain decarbonization: accelerating implementation (WBCSD and PwC) — This new report pulls together insights on “decarbonization levers” presented in the past year, summarizing outcomes from WBCSD’s Incentivizing Supply Chain Decarbonization working group, which was set up to deepen the practical guidance shared and drive action on reducing Scope 3 emissions. Levers identified include: decarbonization criteria in procurement, beneficial terms, longer-term investments, mandatory carbon reporting, public recognition & co-branding, and engagement beyond tier 1 suppliers. CEF members in the working group include Unilever, Dow, Siemens, P&G, and Chevron. (Nov 2022)
More than 330 businesses and financial institutions from 52 countries, with combined revenues of over $1.5 trillion, urged world leaders to move beyond voluntary actions to halt and reverse biodiversity loss in a new statement. The statement advocates for the leaders to adopt “mandatory requirements for all large businesses and financial institutions to assess and disclose their impacts and dependencies on nature by 2030.” CEF Members involved include BASF, Google, International Paper, McKinsey & Co., Microsoft, PepsiCo, Procter & Gamble, Schneider Electric, Tiffany & Co., Unilever, and WM. Businesses can sign the statement here. (Oct 2022)
Twelve member companies of the Consumer Goods Forum’s Coalition of Action on Plastic Waste published a letter to “express their common interest in the development of credible, safe, and environmentally sound” infrastructure to chemically recycle plastics and “in purchasing commercial volumes of chemically recycled plastic content to incorporate in their packaging portfolio.” CEF member signatories included PepsiCo and Unilever. (Oct 2022)
EV100+ — New zero emission road transport leadership commitment focused on medium- and heavy-duty vehicles (MHDVs), launched by the non-profit Climate Group. IKEA, Unilever, JSW Steel, Maersk, and GeoPost/DPDgroup are the founding members of the initiative, which aims to phase out the heaviest and most polluting vehicles on today’s roads. Together these five businesses have committed to transitioning their fleets of MHDVs (over 7.5 metric tons) to zero emission by 2040 in OECD markets, China, and India. These vehicles, while only totaling 4% of all vehicles, account for 40% of all road transport emissions. (Sept 2022)
Business Coalition for a Global Plastics Treaty — 85 organizations, including global businesses, financial institutions, and NGOs, have announced a common vision for an effective and ambitious Global Treaty to End Plastic Pollution, which is expected to determine the trajectory of the plastic pollution crisis for generations to come. The endorsing organizations agree that the treaty must support progress on a number of key outcomes including:
- The reduction of plastic production and use through a circular economy approach;
- Increased circulation of necessary plastic;
- And the prevention and remediation of hard-to-abate micro- and macro-plastic leakage into the environment.
The coalition was organized by the Ellen MacArthur Foundation and WWF and includes CEF members 3M, Kimberly-Clark, PepsiCo, and Unilever. (Sept 2022)
UNILEVER AUSTRALIA & NEW ZEALAND (ANZ) — Announced that it will become a B Corporation, joining the more than 5,400 B Corporations globally. Unilever ANZ’s sustainability actions, including fostering a diverse and inclusive work force, pioneering flexible work and a four-day work week trial in New Zealand, and switching to 100% renewable electricity to power its operations were integral to its successful certification as a B Corporation. (Aug 2022)
Inclusive Sourcing Methodology (Business for Inclusive Growth (B4IG)) —
Provides practical, operational tools to support global corporate procurement teams in their efforts to improve their “social footprint” and enable “inclusive growth.”
Developed by a working group led by L’Oréal, and including CEF members
Schneider Electric and
Unilever, among other companies, the
Methodology recommends sourcing principles and a roadmap to make procurement practices more equitable and responsive to the needs of vulnerable populations. In addition, B4IG has compiled an
Appendix of best practice examples, and offers a Self-Assessment tool to help companies measure their inclusive sourcing practices against a scale of basic to advanced measures. B4IG is a partnership between the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) and major corporations. (Aug 2022)
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Thirty-three companies and organizations have jointly sent a letter to the EPA asking for waivers that would allow California to implement specific new medium-and heavy-duty vehicle (MHDV) regulations more quickly than standard Clean Air Act timelines would allow. The signatories, including CEF members Siemens and Unilever, argue that the following policies—already adopted by the state legislature but requiring EPA approval to launch—would catalyze electric vehicle use beyond the light-duty category, save companies money on their fleets, and accelerate emission reductions (Aug 2022):
- The Advanced Clean Trucks (ACT) standard — Stipulates that a) manufacturers of MHDVs would have to offer an increasing share of electric alternatives from 2024 through 2035, and b) companies with fleets of 50 or more MHDVs must report on their shipping and shuttle services to inform regulators' future strategies for increasing EV use.
- The Heavy-Duty Omnibus (HDO) rule — Stipulates that new diesel-powered large commercial trucks be equipped with technology to dramatically reduce dangerous nitrogen oxide emissions.
IHG HOTELS & RESORTS / UNILEVER — Announced a collaboration to replace "bathroom miniatures" (i.e., small-quantity items like shampoo and conditioner) with bulk versions of those products in reusable containers in over 4,000 IHG hotels around the world. Unilever’s largest brand, Dove, will supply full-size hand wash, body wash, shampoo, conditioner, and body lotion to IHG Essentials and Suites Collection hotels, including Holiday Inn, Holiday Inn Express, avid hotels, Staybridge Suites and Candlewood Suites. The switch to full-size formats is expected to save at least 850 tons of plastic annually in IHG’s Americas region alone and represents a milestone in IHG's pledge to eliminate single-use items throughout the guest stay by 2030. (June 2022)
Rainforest Action Network (RAN) released its annual ranking of major brands and banks on human rights- and forest-related risks associated with commodities produced in the world’s remaining tropical rainforests. According to RAN's analysis, none of the 17 brands and banks evaluated have taken sufficient action to address challenges in supply chains, including deforestation, land disputes, and violence against local and Indigenous communities. While some improvements were noted over past years, only Unilever (a CEF member) was recognized for adopting a “credible policy to address its impact across all forest-risk commodity supply chains” and disclosing its initial forest footprint. (June 2022)
UNILEVER / GENOMATICA — Launched a venture to develop, scale, and commercialize biotech-derived, plant-based alternatives to palm oil and fossil fuels for cleansing agents found in household cleaners and skin care products. Genomatica ("Geno") will use its biotechnology capability to produce the alternative, which will diversify Unilever's supply chains and curb the cutting of biodiverse forests to make way for palm plantations. The companies cite initial estimates that use of the new alternative ingredients could also reduce the carbon footprint of ingredients currently derived from palm by up to 50%. Unilever and Geno are jointly investing $120 million in the venture, and other strategic investors are expected to join. (June 2022)
CEOs from more than 220 US companies, including CEF members Bloomberg, Ecolab, Kaiser Permanente, and Unilever US—sent a letter to The U.S. Senate urging that they “pass bold gun safety legislation as soon as possible,” though it did so without endorsing any specific policies. Reinforcing the epidemic of gun violence in the U.S.as a worsening human health crisis, the letter makes the connection to business in several ways: First, it notes that among those affected are their customers, employees, families, and host communities. Second, it calls out the economic cost of the violence, citing an estimate that US employers lose $1.4 million every day in lost productivity and revenue, and “costs associated with victims of gun violence.” Finally, it conveys that communities with elevated levels of gun violence are less likely to attract investment, create jobs, and generate economic growth. (June 2022)
Voluntary Carbon Markets Integrity initiative (VCMI) — With the backing of the UK Government, announced a provisional Claims Code of Practice (“the Code”) that applies a credibility rating to companies’ carbon credit offset claims. To be awarded any of the three tiers of VCMI accreditation (Bronze, Silver, or Gold) each year, companies must take the following steps (June 2022):
- Meet a set of prerequisites. These include (but are not limited to) a 2050 net-zero commitment across Scopes 1–3 and adherence to the SBTi maximum credit coverage guidance of 5% for Scopes 1– 2 and 33% for Scope 3.
- Identify enterprise-wide and brand-, product-, or service-specific claims.
- Purchase high-quality carbon credits, as determined by the Integrity Council for the Voluntary Carbon Market (IC-VCM) and the Carbon Offsetting and Reduction Scheme for International Aviation (CORSIA).
- Provide regular, transparent, detailed reports on the use of carbon credits.
The Code will be tested by companies including CEF members Google and Unilever through the end of 2022, and a revised version is expected in early 2023.
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A letter coordinated by the European Corporate Leaders Group has been sent to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, reinforcing business support for accelerating Europe's green transition. The letter, signed by 124 businesses—including CEF members Microsoft, PepsiCo, Schneider Electric, and Unilever—comes in the context of the ongoing, destabilizing Russia-Ukraine war, the pending publication of the REPowerEU Plan, and meetings of the G7 energy ministers and European Council. It states, in part, "At the core of the current energy security and price crises sits an overdependence on volatile, imported fossil gas, oil and coal. It is time for all of us to take necessary steps to strengthen Europe’s energy security and resilience by accelerating the green transition." Specifically, the letter calls for the Commission to (May 2022):
- Accelerate measures to reduce energy consumption by households and industries through energy efficiency and circular economy improvements and incentives.
- Accelerate the move away from fossil fuels and towards renewable and fossil-free powered electrification across industry, transport, heating and cooling, and buildings.
- Ensure an inclusive and fair transition process, with clear attention to cost of living and access to work.
More than 100 large companies and investors made a business case to the U.S. Congress and the Biden Administration last week for ambitious federal action on climate. The collective effort, called LEAD on Climate 2022 and organized by sustainability nonprofit Ceres, attracted participants—including CEF members Amazon, HP Inc, Marriott International, Microsoft, Netflix, PepsiCo, Siemens, and Unilever—that count a total of $1.6 trillion in annual revenue and $4.6 trillion in assets under management, and more than 3 million employees across all 50 states. Through two days of virtual meetings, they asked lawmakers and administration officials to (May 2022):
- Meet the urgency and scale of the climate crisis with ambitious federal investments to accelerate the transition to affordable, secure, domestic clean energy.
- Seize the economic opportunities to lead the world in clean energy manufacturing and deployment to create jobs, spur innovation, strengthen supply chains, and reduce costs and volatility for businesses and consumers.
- Tackle inequity by targeting climate and clean energy investments in disadvantaged, rural, and frontline energy communities.
Regenerative agriculture impact fund — CEF member Unilever, along with AXA and Tikehau Capital, announced a Memorandum of Understanding outlining their shared ambition to create a private equity “impact fund” dedicated to accelerating and scaling the transition to regenerative agriculture, viewed as a key approach to fighting climate change. The three partners aim to invest €100 million ($104 million) each and will open the fund to additional investors with a target of reaching €1 billion ($1.04 billion). Managed by Tikehau Capital, the fund will promote regenerative agriculture practices with a three-pronged focus on protecting soil health, helping ensure the future supply of “regenerative ingredients” and helping support technological solutions to underpin the transition. (May 2022)
Will launch pilots in Germany and Indonesia to determine whether the temperature of retail-sales freezer cabinets for its ice cream products can increase from the current industry standard 18°C (-.4°F) to 12°C (10.5°F) without a loss of product performance. Doing so would lower energy usage and emissions associated with freezing by 20–30%. If the pilots are successful, the company will then experiment with a similar temperature increase in last mile freezers in its delivery operations, starting in markets where those carbon footprints are the highest. (May 2022)
The Consumer Goods Forum’s Plastic Waste Coalition of Action — Released a paper, “Chemical Recycling in a Circular Economy for Plastics,” outlining principles for developing new “credible, safe and environmentally sound” chemical recycling technologies. The paper’s 16 corporate co-authors, including CEF members PepsiCo, P&G, and Unilever, state that chemical recycling could increase packaging recycling rates, including hard-to-recycle plastics. The Coalition also published a new independent (LCA) study demonstrating how chemical recycling of hard-to-recycle plastic waste could reduce the climate impact of plastic when compared to waste-to-energy incineration. (April 2022)
28 COMPANIES COMMIT TO UK HYDROGEN — CEF member PepsiCo is among the 28 manufacturing companies operating within the UK’s industrial decarbonization cluster, HyNet, that have committed to transitioning operations from natural gas to hydrogen. Demonstrations of switching to hydrogen from natural gas within HyNet have already occurred by Pilkington Glass and CEF member Unilever. (April 2022)
Consortium on quantifying end-to-end GHG logistics emissions — Smart Freight Centre and WBCSD are leading a new consortium of over 25 global companies to co-develop and implement guidance to quantify the impact of GHG logistics emissions from supplier to final customer. The effort builds upon Smart Freight Centre’s Global Logistics Emissions Council (GLEC) Framework 2.0 and WBCSD’s Pathfinder Framework and is supported by the World Economic Forum and participating organizations including CEF members Dow Chemical, Siemens, Unilever, and UPS, with analytical insights and advisory guidance, provided by McKinsey & Co. The guidance is expected to be published by the end of 2022. (April 2022)
CFO Coalition for the SDGs — 70 Chief Financial Officers (CFOs), including those of CEF member companies BASF, Schlumberger, Schneider Electric, & Unilever, have joined the Leadership Group for a new coalition launched by the UN Global Compact to help integrate the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in corporate finance and create a market for mainstream SDG investments. CFOs in the group will help develop recommendations, frameworks, and best practices to guide corporate investments towards the SDGs. The Coalition aims to (April 2022):
- Leverage commitments from CFOs in the Coalition ($500 billion already committed) to direct trillions of corporate investments towards the SDGs and create a $10 trillion market for SDG-directed finance by 2030.
- Expand the CFO Leadership Group from 70 to 100 CFOs by 2022.
- Encourage 1,000 CFO Signatories to the CFO Principles on Integrated SDG Investments and Finance by 2024.
UNILEVER / SAP — CEF member Unilever announced a successful proof of concept using GreenToken by SAP, a blockchain-based chain of custody solution, to track more than 188,000 tons of oil palm fruit through its complex supply chain. Unilever has committed to achieving a deforestation-free supply chain by 2023. (March 2022)
ECOVADIS 2022 SUSTAINABLE PROCUREMENT LEADERSHIP AWARD WINNERS — EcoVadis announced the 2022 winners of its Sustainable Procurement Leadership Awards program, which recognizes companies “[driving] positive environmental and social change through their sustainable procurement initiatives.” Winners include CEF member Schneider Electric (Best Value Chain Engagement) and Unilever (Best Portfolio Performance Improvement). (March 2022)
Launched a new Challenge to find startups, scaleups, and academic research groups that can co-create biodegradable and sustainable solutions for Unilever personal care products and packaging. (March 2022)
Flexible Packaging Initiative — CEF members PepsiCo and Unilever along with Mars, Mondelēz International, and Nestlé founded this new open initiative to accelerate the transition toward a circular economy for flexible packaging across Europe. Participants have pledged to increase investments in flexible plastic packaging and lobby for policies that support the scaling of recycling infrastructure. (March 2022)
Consumer Goods Forum (CGF) Forest Positive Coalition of Action — Released a new Beef Roadmap for coalition members to address forest degradation and conversion in their beef supply chains. The CEOs of CEF members PepsiCo, Procter & Gamble, and Unilever belong to the coalition. (Feb 2022)
SPG GLOBAL’S “2022 SUSTAINABILITY YEARBOOK” — Over 700 companies made SPG Global’s 2022 Yearbook, an annual assessment to distinguish the top-performing companies in corporate sustainability. CEF members Cisco Systems, General Motors, Siemens, Unilever, and Waste Management earned the highest “Gold Class” status, achieving an S&P Global ESG Score within 1% of their industry's top-performing company's score. (Feb 2022)
74 companies released a joint statement urging UN Member States meeting at the UN Environment Assembly next month to create a legally binding, international treaty to combat worldwide plastic pollution. Notably, they called for the treaty to: have both upstream and downstream policies (including reducing virgin plastic production), provide robust governance, and align governments, businesses, and civil society under a shared approach. Signatories include CEF members PepsiCo, Procter & Gamble, and Unilever. (Jan 2022)
2021
Nearly 400 companies, including Danone North America, Patagonia, and Unilever, signed a letter sent to Congress urging them to pass the “ambitious climate, clean energy, and environmental justice measures” of the Build Back Better budget reconciliation package.” Ceres and several partner organizations organized the letter. (Dec 2021)
CDP “A LIST” — 272 out of nearly 12,000 companies scored by CDP made CDP’s 2021 “A List,” which includes a climate change A List (200 companies), a water security A List (118 companies), and a forests A List (24 companies). The lists recognize companies for their “environmental leadership,” all of which are reducing their value chain emissions and have verified Scope 1 and 2 emissions, SBTi-approved emission-reduction targets, evidence of targets that cover their Scope 3 emissions, “robust governance and oversight of climate issues,” and “rigorous risk management processes.” A record 14 companies received Triple A scores for their work across all three themes, including: Danone, Firmenich, Fuji Oil Holdings, CEF member HP, International Flavors & Fragrances, KAO Corporation, Klabin, Lenzing, L’Oréal, Metsä Board Corporation, Mondi, Philip Morris International, Syrmise, and CEF member Unilever. Additional CEF members on the A Lists include: Ecolab (water security), Ford (climate change, water security), General Motors (water security), HPE (water security), Microsoft (climate change, water security), PepsiCo (forests), Samsung (water security), Schneider Electric (climate change), Visa (climate change). (Dec 2021)
NCS Investment Accelerator — Bank of America, Bayer, Boston Consulting Group, McKinsey & Company and Unilever launched a campaign to increase private sector investment in natural climate solutions (NCS) to slash at least 1 Gigaton of CO2 equivalent per year by 2025. The initiative is supported by the Natural Climate Solutions Alliance convened jointly by the World Economic Forum and the World Business Council for Sustainable Development. (Nov 2021)
A Compass
for Just and Regenerative Business
(Forum for the Future, WBCSD) — Defines key outcomes of a “just and regenerative” business approach.
It offers a
“Business Transformation Compass” to help leaders understand their business’s current mindset and redefine their sustainability ambitions, as well as
practical guidance
to help companies transform business functions while addressing social and environmental challenges. CEF members
Kimberly-Clark
and Unilever provided input for the report. (Nov 2021)
MORE »
35+ COMPANIES’ ZERO-EMISSIONS VEHICLE COMMITMENTS — Over 35 companies signed a new, “legally non-binding” declaration to accelerate the transition to zero-emissions vehicles, which includes various signatory commitments (Nov 2021):
- All signatories agreed to support world leaders’ commitment to have 100% of car and van sales be zero-emissions by 2035 in "leading markets" and globally by 2040
- Auto manufacturers—including CEF members Ford and General Motors—committed to reaching 100% zero-emission new car and van sales in “leading markets” by 2035
- Fleet owners and operators—including CEF members Siemens and Unilever—committed to doing the same by 2030
- Financial institutions and investors with significant shareholdings in automotive manufacturers committed to supporting the transition to achieve 100% new car and van sales being zero-emission in leading markets by 2035
EKATERRA — Unilever’s tea division announced new goals to help reach its existing goal of net zero by 2030 (Nov 2021):
- Reducing GHG emissions 14%, for an 80% total reduction, by 2030 (2010 baseline)
- Using 100% of sustainably sourced teas by 2023
- Using 100% plant-based tea bags, and making all packaging recyclable, reusable, or compostable, by 2025
1.5°C Supplier Engagement Guide (1.5°C Supply Chain Leaders /
Exponential Roadmap Initiative)
—
A
new online platform with open-source tools, case studies, and resources
to help businesses engage with their suppliers to halve GHG emissions by 2030. CEF members
Google, Oracle,
Mastercard, Microsoft, and
Unilever
belong to the Exponential Roadmap Initiative, the last three of which also belong to 1.5°C Supply Chain Leaders.
(Nov 2021)
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MORE 2 »
Consumer Goods Forum (CGF) Forest Positive Coalition of Action — Launched the first phase of its
strategy
to collectively drive forest-positive change in areas equal to the size of its combined production-base footprint by 2030. All members of the CEO-led coalition committed to investing annually through 2023 in at least one program from its Portfolio of Landscape Initiatives, which cover the production of palm oil, soy, paper, pulp and fiber-based packaging, and beef. CEF members
PepsiCo, Procter & Gamble,
and
Unilever
belong to the coalition. (Nov 2021)
MORE »
LEAF Coalition
—
The public-private partnership has
met its goal of mobilizing $1 billion for countries and states committed to increasing ambition to protect tropical forests. CEF member companies
Amazon, BlackRock, McKinsey,
and Unilever are among the coalition’s participants. (Nov 2021)
MORE »
TERRA CARTA SEAL RECIPIENTS —
HRH The Prince of Wales’ initiative and Corporate Knights
awarded their inaugural “Terra Carta Seal” to 45 companies
that are putting “Nature, People and Planet at the heart of” economic value creation.
All recipients have aligned with the
Terra Carta charter, committed to achieving net zero by 2050 or halving GHG emissions by 2035, and committed to standardizing their reporting metrics. Recipients include CEF members
Amazon, Bank of America, Hewlett Packard Enterprise, HP Inc., PepsiCo, Trane Technologies,
and Unilever.
(Nov 2021)
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UN-CONVENED NET-ZERO ASSET OWNER ALLIANCE —
The
alliance of 61 investors managing $10 trillion of assets—including CEF member
Unilever—committed to
phasing out most thermal coal assets for industrialized countries by 2030 and worldwide by 2040.
(Nov 2021)
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Ceres published Feeding Ourselves Thirsty, a benchmarking report evaluating how 38 food companies in 4 industries—agricultural products, beverages, meat, and packaged foods—are responding to water risks. The average overall score was 45 points (out of 100), with the highest scores occurring in the Packaged Food (54-point average) and Beverage sectors (53-point avg.), followed by the Agricultural Products (43-point avg) and Meat sectors (18-point avg). CEF members
Unilever and
PepsiCo ranked as top 10 performers. (Nov 2021)
MORE »
HRH The Duke of Cambridge’s
Earthshot Prize
announced the first 5 winners:
Takachar,
Coral Vita,
AEM Electrolyser, Costa Rica,
and
Milan, Italy. They will each receive a prize of over $1.3 million
and tailored support
from the
Earthshot Prize Global Alliance—which includes CEF members
Bloomberg, Microsoft,
and
Unilever, as well as
Bezos Earth Fund, Bloomberg Philanthropies,
and Breakthrough Energy Foundation—to help
scale their innovative and technological climate solutions. (Oct 2021)
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Cargo Owners for Zero Emission Vessels (coZEV) — 9 multinational cargo owning companies,
including CEF members Amazon
and Unilever, signed the
coZEV 2040
Ambition Statement pledging to
exclusively use zero-emission ships to transport their cargo by 2040. Facilitated by the Aspen Institute, the companies called for “strong policy support to catalyze the broad scale industry transformation.” (Oct 2021)
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The CEOs of over 1,000 companies
with a combined $4.7 trillion in annual revenue
sent an
open letter to all heads of state
ahead of the UN Convention on Biological Diversity
(COP15), urging them to adopt a concrete commitment to reverse nature loss by 2030.
They said the July 2021
draft plan for a Post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework
“lacks the ambition and specificity required to drive the urgent action needed.” Signatories include the CEOs of CEF members
BASF, Google, International Paper, McKinsey & Co., Microsoft, PepsiCo, Procter & Gamble, Schneider Electric, Tiffany & Co., Unilever,
and Waste Management. (Oct 2021)
MORE »
Over 600 companies representing more than $2.5 trillion in revenue
wrote an
open letter urging G20 nations to end support for coal power and “go all-in” on a commitment to halve global emissions by 2030.
They called for an
immediate end to new coal-power financing and development, as well as a
phase-out of coal-fired power generation for advanced economies by 2030 and for other countries by 2040. The letter was published through the
We Mean Business coalition, and signatories include CEF members
Hewlett Packard Enterprise, PepsiCo, Schneider Electric,
and Unilever.
(Oct 2021)
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ENBRIDGE / VANGUARD RENEWABLES —
Will
partner to develop 8 renewable natural gas (RNG) project sites in the United States, which are expected to produce
nearly 2 billion cubic feet of RNG annually. Vanguard will build and operate digesters for turning organic waste into
carbon-neutral
RNG, and Enbridge will invest over $75 million for site building and sell the RNG to companies. CEF member
Unilever is among the companies providing food waste for RNG processing. (Oct 2021)
MORE »
New consortium on cosmetics environmental impact — Unilever, Henkel, L’Oreal, LVMH and Natura & Co
announced a collaboration to “co-develop an industry-wide environmental impact assessment and scoring system for cosmetics products” and are inviting other cosmetics companies to join the effort. (Sept 2021)
MORE »
“World’s To-Do List” campaign —
The
Global Goals Business Avengers—a business group that includes CEF members
Google and
Unilever—launched an awareness campaign to show support for and action towards achieving the 17 Global SDGs.
(Sept 2021)
MORE »
Consumer Goods Forum (CGF) Forest Positive Coalition of Action —
The CEO-led coalition representing 20 companies with a collective market value of over $1.8 trillion (launched in 2020)
issued its first
annual report, which includes a
new set of 3 member-aligned KPIs for driving toward a forest-positive future that are set against the coalition’s
commodity-specific roadmaps. The companies—which include CEF members
PepsiCo, Procter & Gamble,
and Unilever—also
shared in the report their individual and collective progress in publicly reporting on those KPIs. (Sept 2021)
MORE »
“Call to Action for Shipping Decarbonization” —
Over
150 stakeholders across the global maritime value chain
sent a
call to action urging governments to commit to decarbonizing international shipping by 2050, deploying
commercially viable zero-emissions vessels by 2030, and delivering
policies that make net-zero shipping emissions “the default choice” by 2030. The 150 stakeholders (which include CEF member
Dow) were convened by the
Getting to Zero Coalition (which includes CEF members
Chevron Shipping, Honeywell,
and Unilever). (Sept 2021)
MORE »
Taskforce on Scaling Voluntary Carbon Markets (TSVCM) — The taskforce has formed an
independent Board of Directors to govern voluntary carbon markets, with
22 members
representing 12 countries (40% in the Global South); the NGO, academic, corporate, and financial sectors; Indigenous people; and local communities.
The Board will be supported by TSVCM’s founding sponsors, an Executive Secretariat, an Expert Panel, a Senior Advisory Council, and a
Member
consultation group of 250 organizations (including CEF members
Bank of America, BlackRock, BloombergNEF, Bloomberg Philanthropies, Boeing, Chevron, Delta, Google, JPMorgan Chase & Co., Microsoft, Morgan Stanley, Siemens,
and Unilever). (Sept 2021)
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Launched the
Unilever Climate Promise, a new voluntary emission-reduction program for its 56,000 suppliers, wherein signatories
agree to reduce their emissions by 50% by 2030,
openly
report on their progress, and
share their footprint and emissions data with Unilever. The program will be
introduced in phases: to a small group of suppliers this year, to a pilot of 40 suppliers in 2022, and to the 300 suppliers with the largest GHG footprint starting in 2023. (Sept 2021)
MORE »
Earthshot Prize Global Alliance —
HRH The Duke of Cambridge and The Royal Foundation created a new
alliance of companies
that will offer tailored support to 15
Earthshot Prize finalists.
The companies—including CEF members
Bloomberg, Microsoft,
and
Unilever—will
help scale the finalists’ innovative and technological solutions around 5 focus areas:
nature conservation and restoration, air pollution, oceans, climate change, and waste reduction. (Sept 2021)
MORE »
The U.K.-based
HyNet Industrial Fuel Switching project
successfully completed what it claims is the world’s first large-scale demonstration of sheet glass produced with 100% hydrogen. Led by
Progressive Energy, the project’s private-sector partners include Cargill, PepsiCo,
and Unilever.
(Aug 2021)
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Carbon to Value (C2V) Initiative
— The group of business, government, and NGO stakeholders formed to accelerate a carbontech economy
selected its first cohort of
10 startups working toward commercializing carbontech innovations. The companies will have opportunities to engage with C2V Carbontech Leadership Council members, which include
ABInBev 100+ Accelerator, NRG Energy,
and
Unilever.
(Aug 2021)
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2021 Sustainability Leaders (GlobeScan, the SustainAbility Institute by ERM) — A survey of nearly 700 sustainability experts in over 70 countries on how the pandemic will affect the global sustainable development agenda. The experts rank the top 15 companies displaying corporate sustainability leadership, including Unilever as #1 and Microsoft, Danone, Google, and Walmart. (Aug 2021)
Over 150 companies that belong to the Business for Voting Rights Group, including CEF members
Amazon, Apple, Cisco, Facebook, Google, HP, Microsoft, PepsiCo, and
Unilever,
sent a letter to U.S. lawmakers urging them to reintroduce and pass the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act, which would help prevent voting discrimination and establish an improved system for states to report changes to election law. (July 2021)
MORE »
Announced that
the carbon footprint of 30,000 of its 75,000 products will be measured within 6 months.
Carbon footprint labels will be introduced on up to 2 dozen Unilever products in Europe or North America by the end of 2021, and the company
plans to put such labels on its entire product range in the next 2 to 5 years. (July 2021)
MORE »
Entered a
3-year partnership with Protein Design Company™
Arzeda in which it will apply Arzeda’s digital biology techniques to
design new enzymes to improve the sustainability and performance of cleaning and laundry products across its portfolio.
(July 2021)
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The European Commission launched the EU Code of Conduct on Responsible Food Business and Marketing Practices
to make healthy, sustainable food options that help reduce the EU’s environmental footprint more available and affordable. The 65 founding signatories include CEF members
Archer Daniels Midlands, PepsiCo, and
Unilever.
(July 2021)
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75 companies—including
3M, Apple, General Motors, Google, HP Inc., and Unilever—urged lawmakers to support a clean energy standard and require power companies supply zero-carbon electricity. Organized by
Ceres, the Environmental Defense Fund, and others, they wrote in an open letter, "A federal clean electricity standard should achieve 80 percent carbon pollution-free electricity by 2030 on the pathway to 100% clean power by 2035." (July 2021)
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UN-convened Net-Zero Asset Owner Alliance
— Alliance members, who manage $6.6 trillion of assets,
called for the transformation of global carbon-pricing mechanisms to align with the Paris Agreement 1.5° Celsius trajectory. The members—including
Allianz, Prudential,
and
Unilever—say nations should collaborate on a pricing floor and ceiling to incentivize a shift to low-carbon technologies, and that nations and regions without an EU Emissions Trading System should launch one and align it with legally binding net-zero targets and milestones. (July 2021)
MORE »
RE100 — The RE100 companies, which are committed to 100% renewable electricity, now have an electricity demand greater than that of the U.K. or Italy and are on track to save CO2 emissions equal to burning over 118 million tons of coal per year. RE100 members include
CEF Members:
3M, Apple, Bank of America, Bloomberg, Dell Technologies, Ecolab, Facebook, General Motors, Google, Hewlett Packard Enterprise, HP Inc., Johnson & Johnson, JPMorgan Chase & Co., Mastercard, McKinsey & Co., Microsoft, Morgan Stanley, PepsiCo, Procter & Gamble, Siemens AG, TD Bank Group, Trane Technologies, Unilever,
and Visa.
(July 2021)
MORE »
The U.S. Plastics Pact — The Pact, led by The Recycling Partnership and World Wildlife Fund,
published its “Roadmap to 2025,” designed to unite nearly 100 stakeholders across the plastics value chain—including Target,
Kimberly-Clark, Nestlé, and
Unilever—hit its 4 plastic-waste targets, and ultimately enable a circular economy for plastic packaging by 2025. The roadmap includes details on mandatory reporting, actions stakeholders can take, and specific outcomes for designated time frames. (June 2021)
MORE »
Announced plans to expand its refillable packaging trials from Leeds across the U.K. — the first trials of their kind at that scale in the country.
(June 2021)
MORE »
Alliance of CEO Climate Leaders
— Formed in 2014 to catalyze bold corporate climate actions,
70 members of the alliance—including CEOs from BASF, HPE, PepsiCo, Siemens, and Unilever—published an open letter to all world leaders ahead of the G7 Summit demanding transformative policy change to enable a net-zero world. Signatories also
encouraged governments to work together with the private sector to deliver on shared ambitions “within a clearer and more ambitious policy framework.” (June 2021)
MORE »
Unveiled the world's-first paper-based laundry detergent bottle, developed in partnership with members of the
Pulpex consortium, including PepsiCo and Diageo.
The new bottles, made from sustainably sourced pulp and designed to be recycled in the paper waste stream, will first roll out in Brazil in 2022 then globally. (June 2021)
MORE »
Business Alliance to Scale Climate Solutions
(BASCS) — A new collaborative knowledge-sharing network serving all organizations seeking to engage, invest in, and scale climate solutions.
Founding members include
Amazon, Disney, Google, Microsoft, Netflix, Salesforce, Unilever,
and Workday. Nonprofit and public partners include
Environmental Defense Fund, United Nations Environment Programme, and World Wildlife Fund,
withBSR serving as Secretariat. (June 2021)
MORE »
DOVE (Unilever) — Announced the Dove Forest Restoration Project, a $12 million, 5-year effort to protect and restore 20,000 hectares of forest (approximately double the size of Paris) in North Sumatra, Indonesia.
The project, in collaboration with
Conservation International, will also seek to protect endangered species’ habitats and improve livelihoods of the indigenous population. (June 2021)
MORE »
Flexible Plastic Fund — A new $1.4 million U.K.-based investment fund to make flexible plastic recycling economically viable for recyclers by guaranteeing a minimum value of $142 per ton of recycled product.
The long-term goal is to accelerate progress towards a circular flexible plastic recycling market involving household collections. Founders of the fund include
Ecosurety, Mars, Mondelēz International, Nestlé, Pepsico, and Unilever.
(May 2021)
MORE »
Announced a partnership with food-tech company ENOUGH to develop plant-based meat products.
(May 2021)
MORE »
Introduced fully recyclable toothpaste tubes to its oral care brands in France and India. RecyClass, the recyclability standard for Europe, approved the tubes consisting of the widely recyclable plastic HDPE. (May 2021)
Over 80 companies—with combined annual revenue of $1.5 trillion, $341 billion in assets, and over 3 million U.S. employees—called on federal lawmakers to support ambitious climate policy action to address the climate crisis and advance environmental justice
as part of the Ceres-led “LEAD on Climate” advocacy day. CEF members participating included Amazon, CBRE, Dell Technologies, Dow, HP Inc., McDonald’s, Microsoft, PepsiCo, Samsung Electronics America, Siemens,
and Unilever. (May 2021)
MORE »
Over 99% of Unilever shareholders voted in favor of the company's "climate transition action plan" to achieve net-zero across its supply chain by 2039. (May 2021)
Polymers in Liquid Formulations (PLFs) Taskforce — A new taskforce seeking to make the carbon-intensive field of PLFs—chemicals commonly found in paint, cosmetics, shampoos, and adhesives—more sustainable by applying circular economy principles and creating bio-based and biodegradable alternatives. The taskforce is convened by the Royal Society of Chemistry and includes Afton Chemical, Croda, Crown Paints, Scott Bader, and Unilever as founding members. (May 2021)
Anheuser-Busch InBev 100+ Accelerator
—
The Coca-Cola Company,
Colgate-Palmolive, and Unilever became founding partners of the program, launched in 2018, to solve supply chain challenges to advance circular economy, water stewardship, sustainable agriculture, and climate action. The accelerator funds pilot programs, provides hands-on guidance to startups, and assigns teams to test new technology in global supply chains. (April 2021)
MORE »
Lowering Emissions by Accelerating Forest finance (LEAF) Coalition — A public-private initiative to mobilize more than $1 billion to protect tropical forests from deforestation, protect the rights of local Indigenous Peoples, and support sustainable development in emerging economies. Coordinated by nonprofit Emergent, it involves the U.S., the U.K, Norway, and corporate partners Amazon, Airbnb, Bayer, Boston Consulting Group, GSK, McKinsey, Nestlé Salesforce, and Unilever. (April 2021)
Unveiled the world’s first laundry capsule made from recycled industrial carbon emissions, in partnership with LanzaTech and India Glycols. (April 2021)
Members of the Corporate Electric Vehicle Alliance (CEVA) and the BICEP Network sent letters (CEVA letter and the BICEP letter) calling for the Biden administration to adopt vehicle standards aligned with climate science and consistent with a pathway to 100% zero-emission vehicle sales by 2035. The two Ceres-led networks represent over 80 companies with combined annual revenue of $1.3 trillion and include Amazon, CBRE, Kaiser Permanente, McDonald’s, Microsoft, Siemens, Tiffany & Co., Unilever, and VF Corporation. (April 2021)
More than 300 businesses representing over $3 trillion in annual revenue and employing nearly 6 million US workers signed an open letter calling upon President Biden to adopt a GHG emissions reduction target of at least 50% by 2030 (2005 baseline). Organized by the We Mean Business coalition and Ceres, signatories of the letter included: Apple, Dell Technologies, Facebook, Google, Hewlett Packard Enterprise, HP, Johnson & Johnson, Mastercard, McDonald’s, Microsoft, Siemens, Trane Technologies, Unilever, and VF Corporation. (April 2021)
Better Business through Better Wages — A global call to action by 10 companies—including L’Oréal and Unilever—and the IDH Sustainable Trade Initiative to build a living wage economy. Signatories will work with the IDH’s Roadmap on Living Wages to develop and scale solutions for workers in global supply chains with the ultimate goal of achieving a living wage. Companies may join the call to action here. (April 2021)
DOVE (UNILEVER) — Offered to subsidize the costs of “real beauty” models in other brands’ ad campaigns, as part of its project #ShowUs to increase the presence of natural beauty, diversity, and inclusion in advertising. (April 2021)
Coalition of Action on Food Safety — A new initiative launched by the Global Food Safety Initiative of the Consumer Goods Forum, which aims to “strengthen and harmonize food safety systems.” The coalition has 33 retailing and manufacturing members, including Danone, Nestlé, PepsiCo, Starbucks, and Unilever. (March 2021)
Vision 2050: Time to Transform — WBCSD and over 40 of its members—including 3M, BASF, Microsoft, and Unilever—released an action agenda based on 9 “transformation pathways” essential to a sustainable and prosperous future. The pathways cover business areas essential to society: energy; transportation and mobility; living spaces; products and materials; financial products and services; connectivity; health and wellbeing; water and sanitation; and food. Each pathway includes 10 action areas for companies to take over the next decade. (March 2021)
Announced its Climate Transition Action Plan to achieve net-zero GHG emissions across its Scope 1, 2, and 3 by 2039; in a first for a company of its size, Unilever will put the plan before a shareholder vote in May. Interim steps include reducing Scope 1 and 2 emissions by 70% by 2025 and 100% by 2030 (2015 baseline), reducing the footprint of its products by half by 2030 (2010 baseline), and investing over $1 billion in consumer-relevant climate and nature programs. It plans to report annually on its progress in line with TCFD guidance. (March 2021)
Announced a $15 million investment in Closed Loop Partners’ Leadership Fund to help recycle roughly 60,000 metric tons of U.S. plastic packaging waste annually by 2025, an amount equivalent to more than half of Unilever’s plastics footprint in North America. (March 2021)
Value Chain Carbon Transparency Pathfinder — New WBCSD-led initiative to define and accelerate the wide-scale exchange of verified primary carbon emissions data between businesses to increase scope 3 emissions transparency. Over a dozen companies are involved, including BASF, Chevron, Dow, Microsoft, and Unilever. Additional partners welcome. (March 2021)
Announced a new “Positive Beauty” strategy, including a commitment to remove the word “normal” from all packaging and advertising. The strategy also includes commitments to (March 2021):
- Impact the lives of 1 billion people per year by 2030 through actions that improve health and wellbeing and advance equity and inclusion
- Support a global ban on animal testing for cosmetics by 2023
- Protect and regenerate 1.5 million hectares of land, forests, and oceans by 2030, which is more land than is required to grow the renewable ingredients in Unilever’s beauty and personal care products
Corporate Knights and As You Sow released the 2021 Carbon Clean200 list, which ranks the world’s publicly listed companies leading the way with solutions for the transition to a clean energy future. The top 10 included the following (February 2021):
- Alphabet (Google)
- Siemens
- TSMC
- SAP
- Iberdrola
- HP
- Cisco
- Schneider Electric
- Tesla
- Unilever
geoFootprint (Quantis) allows companies and supply chain stakeholders to visualize (in high resolution) and simulate key commodity crops' environmental footprints and gain insights relevant to the apparel, chemicals, cosmetics, biofuels, and other bio-based industries. The tool was created in collaboration with 25 public, private, and academic partners, including General Mills, Mars, Nestlé Research, Unilever, and WBCSD. (February 2021)
S&P Global released their 2021 Sustainability Yearbook, an annual assessment to distinguish the top-performing companies in corporate sustainability. The Yearbook covers a record 7,032 companies across 40 countries and 61 industries. CEF members Cisco, Hewlett Packard Enterprise, Unilever, and Waste Management earned the highest “Gold Class” status by achieving an S&P Global ESG Score within 1% of their industry's top-performing company's score. (February 2021)
Transform to Net Zero, a coalition of 9 global entities — Danone, Environmental Defense Fund, Maersk, Microsoft, Natura & Co., Nike, Starbucks, Unilever, and WIPRO — with BSR as secretariat, shared its action plan to "enable business transformation for an inclusive net-zero economy by 2050." (February 2021)
Corporate Knights released the 2021 Global 100 Index, which ranks the world’s most sustainable companies based on environmental and financial indicators. CEF members honored include Cisco, Google, Hewlett Packard Enterprise, HP, Trane Technologies, Siemens, and Unilever. (January 2021)
Unilever’s beauty brand
Dove announced plans to
reduce plastic waste, including making its iconic
Beauty Bar packaging plastic-free globally
and launching
100% recyclable plastic bottles
in North America and Europe.
(January 2021)
The Renewable Energy Buyers Association (REBA) issued a statement signed by 36 companies — including Amazon, Clorox, Facebook, GM, Google, Johnson & Johnson, McDonald’s, Microsoft, PepsiCo, and Unilever — proposing federal policy priorities to help accelerate the adoption of a customer-centric clean energy transition. Priorities include: 1) expanding and enhancing wholesale energy markets; 2) harmonizing clean-energy procurement and standards; 3) supporting the innovation and commercialization of energy R&D. (January 2021)
Over 60 companies committed to the Stakeholder Capitalism Metrics, an ESG reporting and disclosure framework developed by the WEF and its International Business Council that consists of 21 core and 34 expanded metrics. Companies pledging to implement this reporting framework include Bank of America, Dell Technologies, Dow, Ecolab, Fidelity International, HP, Mastercard, McKinsey & Co., Siemens, and Unilever. (January 2021)
The World Economic Forum
launched Partnering for Racial Justice in Business Initiative, a new coalition to build more equitable and just workplaces. Three steps required to join the initiative include: 1)
Racial and ethnic equity must be placed
on the board’s agenda; 2) Companies must
make at least one commitment towards racial and ethnic justice in their organizations; 3) Companies must put a
long-term strategy in place towards
becoming an anti-racist organization. Founding members include
Bank of America, BlackRock, Bloomberg, Cisco Systems, Facebook, Google, HP, Johnson & Johnson, Kaiser Permanente, Mastercard, McKinsey & Company, Microsoft, PepsiCo, Procter & Gamble, Unilever,
and UPS.
(January 2021)
MORE
»
The Taskforce on Scaling Voluntary Carbon Markets sponsored by the Institute of International Finance established core carbon market principles and released a roadmap of 20 comprehensive actions to scale the carbon offset market. The taskforce includes governments, NGOs, and businesses, including Bank of America, BlackRock, BloombergNEF, Boeing, Siemens, and Unilever. (January 2021)
Unilever announced new supply chain goals that include paying at least a minimum wage to anyone who directly provides goods and services to the company by 2030, spending $2 billion annually with suppliers owned and managed by under-represented groups by 2025, and equipping 10 million young people with essential job skills by 2030. (January 2021)
Unilever and the Alibaba Group announced progress in developing what they describe as China’s “first large-scale, closed-loop plastic recycling system.” Dubbed the “Waste-Free World” initiative, the joint effort incentivizes consumers to use AI-enabled recycling machines that can identify and sort different types of plastic. (January 2021)
HRH The Prince of Wales announced a “Terra Carta” (Earth Charter) outlining nearly 100 actions for businesses that form the “basis of a recovery plan to 2030 that puts Nature, People, and Planet at the heart of global value creation.” Released by the Prince’s Sustainable Markets Initiative, the Charter was signed by CEOs from AstraZeneca, Bank of America, Blackrock, BP, Fidelity International, HSBC, State Street, Unilever, among others. (January 2021)
2020
Unilever has joined Amazon’s “The Climate Pledge.” (December 2020)
Unilever announced a progress update on its commitment to use at least 25% post-consumer recycled plastic in its packaging by 2025. The company announced that it is now using 10% post-consumer recycled plastic in its product packaging, with plans to double its use of post-consumer recycled plastic in the next 12 months. (November 2020)
A group of 17 global consumer goods brands, retailers and manufacturers — including General Mills, PepsiCo, Procter & Gamble, Unilever, and Walmart — have joined the Forest Positive Coalition of Action, an initiative to “engage and collaborate with producers, suppliers and traders, as well as governments and civil society, to advocate for forest positive solutions.” The coalition is led by The Consumer Goods Forum. (September 2020)
A coalition of organizations — including the International Chamber of Commerce, the Exponential Roadmap Initiative, the We Mean Business coalition, and the United Nations Race to Zero campaign — have launched the SME Climate Hub, a new platform that offers tailored resources to help small- and medium-sized businesses reduce emissions and build business resilience. The platform will receive support from a group of large multinational companies, including BT Group, Ericsson, IKEA, Telia, and Unilever. (September 2020)
Unilever will invest €1 billion to eliminate fossil fuel derived chemicals from its cleaning and laundry product formulations by 2030. The company estimates that replacing fossil fuel derived chemicals with renewable or recycled sources of carbon will reduce the carbon footprint of the product formulations by up to 20%. (September 2020)
Unilever joined a group of nine companies — including Danone, Microsoft, Nike, and Starbucks — to launch “Transform to Net Zero,” a cross-sector initiative that aims to “develop and deliver research, guidance, and implementable roadmaps to enable all businesses to achieve net zero emissions” no later than 2050. (July 2020)
Unilever announced new sustainability goals, which include commitments to reach net-zero emissions for all of the company’s products by 2039, achieve a deforestation-free supply chain by 2023, make all product formulations biodegradable by 2030, and implement water stewardship programs for local communities in 100 locations by 2030. The company also announced that its brands will invest $1.1 billion in climate-friendly initiatives — such as reforestation, water preservation, and carbon sequestration — over the next decade. (June 2020)
Unilever received the highest grades in “Waste & Opportunity 2020: Searching for Corporate Leadership” (As You Sow, June 2020), which measures the progress that 50 large U.S. consumer-facing companies have made to reduce plastic pollution.
Unilever released new climate goals, the most ambitious to date among consumer goods companies,aiming to zero out all emissions from its own operations and those of its suppliers by 2039. The company include GHG labels on 70,000 products showing emissions from manufacturing and shipping, and will invest €1 billion ($1.1 billion) in climate-friendly initiatives over the next decade.
Unilever committed €100 million worth of soap, sanitizer, bleach, and food to its consumers and communities through the World Economic Forum’s COVID Action Platform and other initiatives. (April 2020)
Unilever was a top performer on the “2019 Corporate Human Rights Benchmark” (APG, Aviva Investors, Business & Human Rights Resource Centre, Eiris Foundation, Institute for Human Rights and Business, Nordea, and VBDO) analyzes 200 companies from the agricultural products, apparel, extractives, and ICT manufacturing industries and ranks them based on their human rights performance. (March 2020)
In “Ten Years to Deliver the Paris Agreement” (GlobeScan and SustainAbility), survey respondents identified Unilever as a global corporate leader in addressing climate change. (Feb 2020)
Unilever was included on CDP “A List” for demonstrating leadership on water security, and deforestation in 2019 (February 2020)
Unilever was recognized on CDP “Climate Change A List,” which recognizes companies for demonstrating leadership on climate risk management in 2019. (Jan 2020)
2019
Unilever joined a BP-led consortium across the plastics value chain to commercialize a technology capable of producing high-quality, recycled PET content from difficult-to-recycle PET waste. (Dec 2019)
A group of CEOs from more than 70 companies and union leaders, representing 12.5 million workers, signed a joint statement calling for the United States to stay in the Paris Agreement. CEF member company signatories include Apple, Bank of America, Dow, Ecolab, Google, HP, Ingersoll Rand, Mastercard, Microsoft, NRG Energy, Patagonia, PepsiCo, Tiffany & Co., Unilever, Verizon, and The Walt Disney Company. (Dec 2019) MORE »
“Feeding Ourselves Thirsty: Tracking Food Company Progress Toward a Water-Smart Future” (Ceres) evaluates the water risk management performance of 40 major companies in the food sector, across 4 industries, on a 0-100 point scale based on overall corporate governance and management of water risks in their direct operations, manufacturing supply chain, and agricultural supply chain. Unilever was named the top-performing company in packaged food category, scoring 87 points. (Nov 2019)
Unilever brand Dove will begin using 100% recycled plastic bottles for its products in North America and Europe by the end of 2019. The brand will also transition its beauty bar single packs to plastic-free packaging next year. (Oct 2019)
Unilever announced a new set of 2025 goals, which include plans to reduce its virgin plastic packaging by 50% and help collect and process more plastic packaging than it sells. (Oct 2019)
Unilever joined a coalition of 17 companies to amplify the important role of business action in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals by 2030. (Sep 2019)
Unilever joined a group of 19 companies to launch “One Planet for Biodiversity,” a WBCSD-led initiative aimed at accelerating action on biodiversity within supply chains and product portfolios. The initiative has three main areas of focus: Scaling up regenerative agriculture practices to protect soil health, developing product portfolios to boost cultivated biodiversity and increase the resilience of the food and agriculture models, and eliminating deforestation. (Sep 2019)
Unilever has achieved 100% renewable electricity for its operations across five continents. (Sep 2019)
The American Cleaning Institute announced “Our Future Is Clean,” an initiative to highlight how its more than 140 member companies across the cleaning industry including Unilever are driving action to help create a sustainable future and promote consumers’ health and well-being. The initiative will launch during National Cleaning Week 2020. (Sep 2019)
Unilever joined a group of 28 companies to commit “to more ambitious climate targets aligned with limiting global temperature rise to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels and reaching net-zero emissions by no later than 2050.” The group of participating companies has a combined market capitalization of $1.3 trillion. (July 2019)
Unilever unveiled that its 28 Sustainable Living Brands are growing 69% faster than the rest of the business and delivered 75% of the company’s growth in 2018. (June 2019)
Unilever CEO Alan Jope released an open letter calling on the company’s trade associations and business groups to confirm whether their current lobbying position on climate policy is aligned with Unilever’s position and the 1.5 degree ambition set out in the Paris Agreement. (June 2019)
Unilever joined a group of more than 120 UK business leaders in sending a letter calling on Prime Minister Theresa May to implement a net-zero emissions target for 2050. (June 2019)
Unilever North America President Amanda Sourry joined a group of 13 CEOs from U.S. and Global Fortune 500 companies to launch the CEO Climate Dialogue, an initiative aimed at working collaboratively with lawmakers to implement long-term climate legislation at the federal-level. The goal of the initiative is to “build bipartisan support for climate policies that will increase regulatory and business certainty, reduce climate risk, and spur investment and innovation needed to meet science-based emissions reduction targets.” (May 2019)
Unilever has achieved LEED Platinum certification for its North American headquarters in Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey. (May 2019)
Unilever CEO Alan Jope joined CEOs from more than 50 European businesses, investors and business networks in signing a letter calling on EU heads of state to “endorse an EU strategy for climate neutrality by 2050 at the latest.” (May 2019)
Ranked #9 on Carbon Clean 200 list (As You Sow and Corporate Knights), which ranks large publicly listed companies according to total revenue generated from products and services that deliver carbon reductions. (Feb 2019)
Recognized as one of 120 companies — out of more than 5,500 companies analyzed — on CDP’s Supplier Engagement leaderboard (“Global Supply Chain Report 2019”) for their work with suppliers to reduce emissions and lower environmental risks in the supply chain. (Feb 2019)