An Overview of Unilever’s Approach to Environmental & Social Responsibility hi-res coming from TS worldwide web global challenges If you would like to know more about Unilever’s approach to environmental and social responsibility, please visit our website, where copies of our latest Environmental Performance Summary Report and Social Review can be read online or downloaded: local actions ➞ www.unilever.com/environmentsociety your views We would like to hear from you. If you have any questions, comments and ideas about this publication or any other aspect of Unilever’s environmental and social policies, We have neg and print please contact: ➞ [email protected] or write to: Corporate Relations Unilever PLC PO Box 68 Unilever House Blackfriars London EC4P 4BQ United Kingdom Corporate Relations Unilever N.V. PO Box 760 Weena 455 3000 DK Rotterdam The Netherlands SB/C/0203 Writing: Richard Aldwinckle, Peter Knight, Context Design: salterbaxter Print: Wace Paper: Look! Digital hi-res Digital hi-res Digital hi-res We have tranny Cover Extending distribution The remoteness of some villages in Indonesia has second income by linking them up with the forced us to develop innovative ways to distribute distributors of our brands. While Unilever benefits our products, including by motorbike. Since the from better distribution of its brands among rural economic crisis hit Indonesia in the late 1990s and households, the added incentive of being able to global challenges the value of incomes fell, Unilever Indonesia has buy products has attracted more women to attend provided rural family planning workers with a family planning talks. local actions Our Business Every day, around the world, 150 million people That is why, as a multi-local multinational, we tackle Unilever is a multi-local multinational with choose our products to feed their families and global concerns with local actions and work in consumers, employees, business partners and clean themselves and their homes. By making and partnership with local agencies, governments and shareholders on every continent. The Unilever selling brands that meet people’s everyday needs, non-governmental organisations. Group* was created in 1930 when the British we have grown into one of the world’s largest soap-maker Lever Brothers merged its businesses consumer goods businesses. This booklet shows how we go about meeting our with those of the Dutch margarine producer, social and environmental responsibilities. It contains Margarine Unie. Unilever has operations in We believe the very business of ‘doing business’ an overview of our policies and performance, and around 100 countries and our products are in a responsible way has a positive social impact. some examples of our social and environmental on sale in 50 more. We create and share wealth, invest in local partnerships in action. economies, develop people’s skills and spread Unilever has two divisions – Foods and Home expertise across borders. It is not a complete picture of what we do. & Personal Care. Food brands include such well- For a more comprehensive review, please visit our known names as Lipton, Knorr, Hellmann’s, As a global company we aim to play our part website. But we hope it will give you some idea Magnum and Bertolli. Home and personal care in addressing global social and environmental of how we approach the subject of corporate brands include Dove, Lux, Omo, Pond’s and Sunsilk. concerns, such as micro-nutrient deficiency, social and environmental responsibility at Unilever health and hygiene, water quality and and provide an insight into the very practical sustainable agriculture. way we are tackling some of these issues. But we do not believe it is practical to address these concerns only at a global level. Or that companies such as ours can make a difference without working in partnership with others. multinational multi-local * The Unilever Group, also referred to as Unilever or the Group, consists of the two parent companies, Unilever N.V. and Unilever PLC which, together with their group companies, operate as nearly as practicable as a single entity. 1 hi-res We have tranny hi-res Negative coming 1 2 3 4 1Water quality 2Top tomatoes 3 HIV/AIDS in Africa 4 Hygienic hawkers Monitoring the operation of the waste water Checking tomato quality in Australia, where we A senior occupational health nurse advises on Unilever Indonesia’s initiative to encourage treatment plant at the Algida ice cream factory in are involved in a partnership to develop sustainable HIV/AIDS prevention at Unilever South Africa’s unemployed youths to become entrepreneurs has Turkey. The plant was Unilever's first to be certified agriculture guidelines for tomato growers. Tomatoes Boksburg plant. created a new type of hawker in Jakarta, trained in global policies to ISO 14001, the globally recognised environment are one of five crops in our Sustainable Agriculture food hygiene, who sell traditional hot cooked meals management systems standard. Initiative. made with Unilever products. local initiatives Environment Sustainable Agriculture with the conservation organisation WWF, Social companies in Africa have developed Department of Trade and Industry and Recent environmental and social pressures set up the Marine Stewardship Council to a common approach with programmes others to create more first generation Our environmental policy applies to on agriculture have prompted us to establish a certification process for We are committed to making a that focus on prevention education and small business start-ups. all Unilever companies worldwide. develop a more sustainable approach sustainable fishing practices. positive contribution to society the most appropriate types of treatment It sets out our commitment to to how our crops are grown. We have through the brands we produce and and care for AIDS sufferers. A series of pilot projects started in 2000 has completed guidelines for the sustainable Water Stewardship sell, through our commercial been highly successful, not only for the meet the needs of customers and Advice and help for employees has management of all five of our key crops Unilever’s activities are intimately linked operations and relationships, through economy but also for Unilever Indonesia. consumers in an environmentally been extended to their families and – palm oil, tea, peas, spinach and with safe water supplies, whether used the voluntary contributions we make One scheme has involved training sound and more sustainable manner, communities through joint programmes tomatoes – which are being published in our operations or by our suppliers to the community and through our unemployed youths to become through continuous improvements with local partners. For example, as a on www.growingforthefuture.com, or by consumers who use our products. wider engagement with society. entrepreneurs selling Unilever products, in environmental performance leading member of the Kenya HIV/AIDS a website specially set up to share our Competing demands for water – for while another has created a new in all our activities. Unilever is a decentralised organisation, Business Council, Unilever is working knowledge. We are also working with agriculture, manufacturing and human distribution channel for the company so our policy is not to impose global social closely with the government, local NGOs other major food companies – including consumption – and the need to sustain to reach small shops and kiosks in urban We use a life cycle approach to assess programmes on our managers but to and 100 other companies to stop the Danone and Nestlé – to promote a healthy environment mean that society and rural areas. Unilever Indonesia is our overall impact on the environment. empower them to decide what is right for spread of HIV/AIDS at the workplace sustainable agriculture practices through needs to adopt a more integrated now establishing a business incubator This enables us to analyse our impacts their businesses and their local societies. and in the community. In South Africa the Sustainable Agriculture Initiative approach to water management. to provide training and business and to concentrate on those areas Unilever employees, the Unilever (www.saiplatform.org). This approach is based firmly on the values advice for entrepreneurs. where we can bring the greatest Foundation and the Durban Children’s To help us manage our many water enshrined in our Corporate Purpose and benefits. Our strategy has a clear focus. Society are supporting a community Sustainable Fisheries projects effectively, we developed a set the standards of corporate behaviour set We aim to make more with less in our family home for AIDS affected children. manufacturing (eco-efficiency), and The world’s fisheries are under threat. of principles with the help of the UK out in our Code of Business Principles. design our products to minimise their According to the UN’s Food and sustainability organisation Forum for Entrepreneurs in Indonesia Policy in Practice impact on the environment (eco- Agriculture Organisation, 48% are the Future. Our Sustainable Water and In Indonesia 90% of all businesses It is at a country level that our policy innovation). fully exploited, 16% overfished Integrated Catchment Management are small or medium-sized and are and 9% depleted. (SWIM) principles combine a structured becomes a reality as shown by these responsible for generating over half two examples: We realise that many issues that affect us approach to understanding water the country’s income. They are a major are outside our direct control either at Unilever is one of the world's largest demands in a particular catchment HIV/AIDS in Africa engine for growth in the local economy, the beginning of our supply chain or at buyers of frozen fish for our Iglo, Birds area with a framework for managing Providing a consistently high standard so the Indonesian government is keen the end. This has led us to focus on three Eye and Findus brands. Without regular partnership projects. of occupational healthcare is core to find new ways of encouraging more sustainability initiatives in areas that are supplies we would have no fish business, to our business principles.