Sustainable Living: Unilever

Abstract

The chapter analyses Unilever, a British-Dutch global consumer goods company whose Sustainable Living Plan includes three main goals: improving health and well-being, reducing environmental impact, and enhancing livelihoods. Unilever creates value for customers by supplying them with responsibly sourced products. It earns enough profit to be sustainable and supply the products that their consumers demand. It works every day to attain the goals that it has set for itself, in a sustainable living plan to grow as a company, while protecting the environment. CEO Paul Polman joined Unilever in 2009. He eliminated earnings guidance and quarterly reporting and does not want hedge funds as investors, thus changing the way business is done by Unilever. Polman redefined the role of CEO as statesman—someone who runs his or her business responsibly and successfully, with integrity. Because no company has ever made such sustainable commitments before, Unilever does not know for certain that they will meet their goals and succeed. The biggest challenge to committing to such a broad initiative is surviving the transition. Unilever is working to arrive at solutions to various problem areas, including safe drinking water, fighting viruses, better packaging, sustainable washing, storing renewable energy, and changing consumer behavior.