Unilever supports cosmetics industry to take action on sustainability

Unilever has become a founding member of a new group of cosmetics and personal care businesses in Europe who are pledging to raise the bar on sustainable, ethical and responsible practices and take ambitious action on the planet’s most pressing challenges.

The Cosmetics Europe Commit for our Planet initiative (Opens in a pop-up window ) launched on 7 December to drive industry-wide sustainability commitments that are inclusive, measurable and adapted to ever-changing social and environmental needs across three key themes:

• Climate
• Packaging
• Nature.

Every founding ‘Pioneer’ member of the initiative – from global corporates like Unilever to SMEs and start-ups – is tasked with charting its own course for sustainability. The aim is to amplify efforts through joint action to harness the collective power of the beauty sector.

At Unilever, our commitment to sustainability is embedded through our purpose, vision, business model and strategy – the Unilever Compass – which outlines our five strategic choices for growth and the important role that our sustainability agenda plays in this. The Compass sets out sustainability commitments to improve the health of the planet, improve people’s health, confidence and well-being, and contribute to a fairer, more socially inclusive world.

Here is a high-level look at some of our Compass commitments:

Our purpose

Purpose underpins every part of this work, as Chief Sustainability Officer Rebecca Marmot explains:

“At Unilever, our purpose is to make sustainable living commonplace. It is something we believe in passionately and wholeheartedly, which is why we are proud to be a Pioneer of the Cosmetics Europe Commit for Our Planet initiative,” she says.

“We have a long history of putting sustainability at the heart of our growth strategy but know how important it is to join forces across the entire cosmetics industry on this vital agenda to ensure we maximise our impact.”