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Our strategy

Our purpose is to make sustainable living commonplace.

It’s why we come to work. It’s why we’re in business. It’s how we inspire exceptional performance.

Woman and her cat behind the shop counter

We believe that the winning businesses of tomorrow will be those which anticipate and respond to the huge changes shaping people’s lives across the world. The businesses that will have the greatest success are those which capitalise on the power of data and biotechnology; adapt to shifting consumer needs; and contribute to tackling the twin challenges of climate change and social inequality.

Sustainable growth

We have a long tradition of being a responsible and pioneering business. It goes back to the days of our founders, including William Lever, who launched one of the world’s first purposeful brands, Sunlight Soap, more than 100 years ago. And it is at the heart of how we run our company today.

We strive to do more good for our planet and our society – not just less harm. We want to act on the social and environmental issues facing the world and we want to enhance people’s lives with our innovative, sustainable and high-quality products.

This is how we will grow our business.

Explore our history
lifebuoy soap

Our strategic choices

It is our ambition to be the global leader in sustainable business. We will demonstrate that our purpose-led, future-fit business model delivers superior performance, consistently delivering financial results in the top third of our industry.

You can download  our Compass strategy here  (PDF 2.22 MB) .

  1. We will build a high growth portfolio across five business groups

    Plant based: Vegan mayo
    Hellmann's vegan mayonnaise

    We will build our position in Beauty and Wellbeing, Personal Care, Home Care, Nutrition and Ice Cream.

  2. We will win with our brands, powered by superior products, innovation and purpose

    A photo of a man using Degree Inclusive deodorant, which has been designed to make application easier for people with disabilities
    Degree Inclusive, the world’s first adaptive deodorant

    Our brands will be built on advanced science and will grow by delivering functionally superior products, as well as taking action on social and environmental issues that our consumers care about. They will improve the health of the planet, improve people’s health and wellbeing, and contribute to a fairer, more socially inclusive world.

  3. We will accelerate in key growth markets

    Group of people standing at a market stall for the launch of Horlicks in Nepal.
    Launch of Horlicks

    We will sharpen our focus and investment in our key growth markets, while further strengthening our leading positions across growth markets where we are uniquely positioned to win.


  4. We will lead in the channels of the future

    channels of the future
    Partnering with start-ups in China

    We will capture the opportunity in eCommerce, pioneering with innovative routes to market, and leading with shopper insights which help to drive our growth and build strong relationships with our customers.

Our strategic choices inspire our actions

Our values define how we do business – with integrity.

We expect everyone at Unilever to be an ambassador for our high ethical standards. We want to create an environment where employees not only live our values in their own work – integrity, respect, responsibility and pioneering – but are vigilant in identifying potential concerns, and confident about speaking up in such situations.

Supply Chain Lorry
Brands collage

Unilever at a glance

As a global company making a real difference across the world, there’s plenty we can tell you: here’s a look at just some of the details.

a group of people getting a demonstration

Our approach

Our interconnected business model powers our business and creates sustained value for all of our stakeholders.

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