Sustainable Living
Find out how we are driving positive change and sustainable growth through our business, our brands and our partners.
The Unilever Sustainable Living Plan
The Unilever Sustainable Living Plan sets out to decouple our growth from our environmental footprint, while increasing our positive social impact.
Our Plan has three big goals to achieve, underpinned by nine commitments and targets spanning our social, environmental and economic performance across the value chain. We will continue to work with others to focus on those areas where we can drive the biggest change and support the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
We have three big goals
Improving health
and well-being
for more than
1 billion
By 2020 we will help more than a billion people take action to improve their health and well-being.
Explore our big goal- Health & hygiene
- Improving nutrition
We are taking action on the UN Sustainable Development Goals
By 2020 we will help more than a billion people to improve their health and hygiene. This will help reduce the incidence of life-threatening diseases like diarrhoea.
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Reduce diarrhoeal and respiratory disease through handwashing
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Provide safe drinking water
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Improve access to sanitation
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Improve oral health
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Improve self-esteem
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Help improve skin healing
Contributing to the following SDGs:
We will continually work to improve the taste and nutritional quality of all our products. The majority of our products meet, or are better than, benchmarks based on national nutritional recommendations. Our commitment goes further: by 2020, we will double the proportion of our portfolio that meets the Highest Nutritional Standards, based on globally recognised dietary guidelines. This will help hundreds of millions of people to achieve a healthier diet.
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Reduce salt levels
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Reduce saturated fat
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Increase essential fatty acids
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Reduce saturated fat in more products
(Targets no longer measured or reported since the sale of our Spreads business in 2018.)
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Remove trans fat
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Reduce sugar
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In children's ice cream
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In more ice cream products
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Provide healthy eating information
Contributing to the following SDGs:
Reducing
environmental
impact by
half
By 2030 our goal is to halve the environmental footprint of the making and use of our products as we grow our business.*
Explore our big goal- Greenhouse gases
- Water use
- Waste & packaging
- Sustainable sourcing
We are taking action on the UN Sustainable Development Goals
Our products' lifecycle:
Halve the greenhouse gas (GHG) impact of our products across the lifecycle by 2030.
Our manufacturing:
By 2020 CO2 emissions from energy from our factories will be at or below 2008 levels despite significantly higher volumes.
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Source all energy renewably
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Source grid electricity renewably
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Eliminate coal from energy mix
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Make surplus energy available to communities
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Reformulation
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Reduce GHG from transport
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Reduce GHG from refrigeration
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Reduce energy consumption in our offices
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Reduce employee travel
Contributing to the following SDGs:
Our products in use:
Halve the water associated with the consumer use of our products by 2020.+
Our manufacturing:
By 2020 CO2 emissions from energy from our factories will be at or below 2008 levels despite significantly higher volumes.
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Products that use less water
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Reduce water use in agriculture
Contributing to the following SDGs:
Our products:
Halve the waste associated with the disposal of our products by 2020.
Our manufacturing:
By 2020 total waste sent for disposal will be at or below 2008 levels despite significantly higher volumes.
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Zero non-hazardous waste to landfill
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Reusable, recyclable or compostable plastic packaging
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Reduce packaging
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Increase recycling and recovery rates
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Increase recycled content
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Tackle sachet waste
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Eliminate PVC
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Recycle, reuse, recover
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Reduce paper consumption
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Eliminate paper in processes
Contributing to the following SDGs:
By 2020 we will source 100% of our agricultural raw materials sustainably.
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Sustainable palm oil
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Paper and board
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Soy beans and soy oil
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Tea
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Fruit
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Vegetables
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Cocoa
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Sugar
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Sunflower oil
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Rapeseed oil
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Dairy
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Fairtrade Ben & Jerry’s
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Cage-free eggs
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Increase sustainable sourcing of office materials
Contributing to the following SDGs:
Enhancing
livelihoods
for
millions
By 2020 we will enhance the livelihoods of millions of people as we grow our business.
Explore our big goal- Fairness in the workplace
- Opportunities for women
- Inclusive business
We are taking action on the UN Sustainable Development Goals
By 2020 we will advance human rights across our operations and extended supply chain.
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Implement UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights
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Source 100% of procurement spend in line with our Responsible Sourcing Policy
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Create framework for fair compensation
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Improve employee health, nutrition and well-being
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Reduce workplace injuries and accidents †
Contributing to the following SDGs:
By 2020 we will empower 5 million women.
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Build a gender-balanced organisation with a focus on management
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Promote safety for women in communities where we operate
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Enhance access to training and skills
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Expand opportunities in our retail value chain
Contributing to the following SDGs:
By 2020 we will have a positive impact on the lives of 5.5 million people.
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Improve livelihoods of smallholder farmers†
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Improve incomes of small-scale retailers†
Contributing to the following SDGs:
* Our environmental targets are expressed on a ‘per consumer use’ basis. This means a single use, portion or serving of a product.
+ In seven water-scarce countries representing around half the world’s population.
† PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) assured. See Independent assurance & our metrics.
Our Sustainable Living Report Hub
The Unilever Sustainable Living Plan sets out to decouple our growth from our environmental footprint, while increasing our positive social impact.
Our strategy for sustainable growth
Unilever has, from its origins, been a purpose-driven company. Today our purpose is simple but clear - to make sustainable living commonplace.
What matters to you
Sometimes we are asked specific questions about our business. Here we address some of the topics that matter most to you.
News
Find out all the latest news from Unilever, including how we are working towards a sustainable future.
Change the world for the better – together
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