The Anglo-Dutch consumer products company Unilever Plc (ULVR.L) announced it would respond to the “scale and urgency” of the climate crisis with a 1-billion-euro Climate and Nature fund to invest in climate change projects over the next ten years. Such projects include water preservation, reforestation, wildlife protection, and carbon sequestration.
Unilever’s chief executive Alan Jope said:
“While the world is dealing with the devastating effects of the Covid-19 pandemic, and grappling with serious issues of inequality, we can’t let ourselves forget that the climate crisis is still a threat to all of us. Climate change, nature degradation, biodiversity decline, water scarcity – all these issues are interconnected, and we must address them all simultaneously. In doing so, we must also recognize that the climate crisis is not only an environmental emergency; it also has a terrible impact on lives and livelihoods. We, therefore, have a responsibility to help tackle the crisis: as a business, and through direct action by our brands.”
Unilever owns over 400 brands, including world-famous names such as Hellmann’s, Knorr, Lipton, Vaseline, and Dove soap. In addition to the climate change fund, it has pledged that by 2039 all its brands will have net-zero greenhouse gas emissions – which is 11 years ahead of the Paris Agreement deadline. Net-zero counting from the sourcing of the materials used to the point of sale for products.
It has many more goals as well, such as achieving a deforestation-free supply chain, promoting regenerative agriculture, and making all product ingredients biodegradable by 2023.
Unilever’s chief supply chain officer Marc Engel said:
“Our collective responsibility in tackling the climate crisis is to drive an absolute reduction of greenhouse gas emissions, not simply focus on offsetting – and we have the scale and determination to make it happen. But this is not enough. If we want to have a healthy planet long into the future, we must also look after nature: forests, soil biodiversity, and water ecosystems.
In most parts of the world, the economic and social inclusion of farmers and smallholders in sustainable agricultural production is the single most important driver of change for halting deforestation, restoring forests, and helping regenerate nature. In the end, they are the stewards of the land. We must, therefore, empower and work with a new generation of farmers and smallholders in order to make a step-change in regenerating nature.”
The company says it will use a host of digital technologies – such as satellite monitoring, blockchain, and geolocation tracking – to increase transparency and traceability within its supply chain.
Engel said:
“We are now going much wider in our commitments; we call it a cradle to shelf commitment…across the value chain.”
It will prioritize partnerships with suppliers who have set emission reduction targets. It has also set up a system where suppliers have to declare the carbon footprint of goods and services provided. As of 2039, every product will depict its carbon footprint on the label.
Last year, Unilever vowed to halve the amount of new plastic it uses by 2025 by shifting to more recyclable and alternative materials, cutting its use of plastic packaging by over 100,000 tons, and providing refillable options. It also pioneered the development of a new detectable black pigment so that black plastic packaging could be recycled. It made the material openly available to any brands keen to improve their sustainable credentials. And it announced that its 100% renewable energy generation goal had been met ahead of schedule across five continents! All their factories, warehouses, R&D facilities, offices, data centers, and distribution centers – across Africa, Asia, Europe, Latin America, and North America – are currently powered purely by clean electricity.
