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Sustainable development

Unilever has a long-standing commitment to sustainability and responsible business practice.

Our contribution

The long-term growth and success of our business goes hand in hand with ensuring a sustainable future for the planet and its people.

Increasingly we are finding that we can only achieve our objectives if we find more sustainable ways of doing business – what we describe as 'doing well by doing good'.

The most important ways in which Unilever makes a contribution is by:

  • Enhancing the health and well-being of consumers through our products and brands.

  • Addressing the sustainability challenges related to climate change, water, packaging and sourcing of agricultural raw materials.

  • Creating wealth in the communities where we operate and bringing benefits to our stakeholders.

Sunflower

Our impacts

An interactive guide to our impacts at every stage of the life-cycle, from concept to consumption.

A woman picking tea

Sustainable development report 2007

A full account of our social, economic and environmental performance.

Some highlights from 2007

  • Completed assessment of all 22 000 food and beverage products through our Nutrition Enhancement Programme.

  • Committed to purchase all our tea from sustainable, ethical sources, and to work with the Rainforest Alliance.

  • Introduced new marketing guidelines limiting advertising to children under 12 and banning the use of 'size-zero' models.

  • Launched new climate change strategy with target to reduce CO2; from energy in manufacturing by 25% by 2012.

  • Named Wal-Mart's Supplier of the Year for Sustainable Engagement.

  • Food industry category leader in the Dow Jones Sustainability World Indexes for the ninth year running.

What's new

Here you will find newly loaded items including case studies, news stories and speeches: