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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.

Watch: How we're making sustainable living commonplace

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 501.03 KB).

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

    A pack of LUX Velvet soap surrounded by white jasmine flowers on a peach coloured background.

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

    See how even one of our more established brands remains current

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

    Three people working in the forest planting trees

    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.

    Read about our Compass commitments to see how we’ll deliver this

  3. We will accelerate in key growth markets

    Mumbai Skyline in India

    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.

    Discover more about one of our best-performing businesses


  4. We will lead in the channels of the future

    Vaseline’s premium innovation – known as Gluta-Hya – can reduce dark spots to give even-toned skin.

    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.

    Explore how our experts are applying the latest digital technologies

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
An illustration of UK brands

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.

Our approach

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

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