Profile
Catherine McVitty's work for Unilever has ranged from organising packaging and recycling initiatives, to water management and employee volunteering. A constant theme, however, has been creating a link between the company and its local communities.
She joined Unilever 15 years ago as a policy worker on environmental and energy issues at Lever Brothers. Her degree in political science and five years working in politics proved useful. Like today, consumer interest in the environment was increasing, and companies like Lever Brothers responded by exploring ways to reduce the environmental impact of their products and manufacturing facilities. Catherine encouraged the design team to create packaging that was minimal and could be recycled. And she helped the company take the lead in supporting local recycling programmes across Canada.
She then began to work more closely with national and local environmental organisations, co-ordinating Unilever's support for their community work.
In 1999 she focused on water-related projects, in line with Unilever’s global water sustainability initiative. Catherine led Unilever Canada’s involvement with the Living Lakes Network. As part of this, Unilever partnered with a small environmental organisation, the East Kootenay Environmental Society (EKES), to help protect the Columbia river wetlands in British Columbia.
Between 2002 and 2004, Unilever Canada led EKES through an entire re-branding process. EKES changed its name to Wildsight, and put in place a comprehensive marketing and communications plan. “We partnered with Wildsight in a way we had never done before, and the outcome was phenomenal, for both our marketing staff and Wildsight”
As well as helping people outside Unilever understand the company and its environmental activities, Catherine raises employee awareness about the environment. Employee volunteerism has become an important part of the culture at Unilever Canada, with some employees volunteering up to three times a year.
In 2006, Catherine organised the first ever National Vitality Day, where employees from all nine Canadian sites spent time volunteering in their communities. In all, Unilever Canada employees volunteered 2,000 hours with non-profit organisations during 2006. "It's great to see employees really satisfied at having the chance to take a closer look at the needs of their city and to give something back," says Catherine.
Thanks to Catherine’s work, Unilever Canada was ranked the country’s top company for corporate social responsibility by the Report on Business magazine in 2006. “It is very exciting to be involved in this part of the business when interest in the environment and corporate social responsibility are becoming priorities for our business and consumers,” she says.
