Unilever named number one in global sustainability survey
Unilever has been voted as the outright global leader in sustainability according to the latest results of The SustainAbilty Survey.*
600 sustainability experts from across the globe, including New Zealand, were canvassed as part of the annual SustainAbility survey (conducted by GlobeScan and SustainAbility) that asks respondents to name the companies they consider sustainability leaders; why they think the firm is a leader in sustainable development; and which industries have done the most to advance sustainability in the past year.
The result follows the launch of Unilever’s Sustainable Living Plan** in November 2010 which sets out 50 social, economic and environmental targets to be achieved by 2020, including halving the environmental footprint across the entire lifecycle of its products.
On the heels of this result, Chairman of Unilever Australia & New Zealand, Sebastian Lazell, announces the first local phase of Unilever’s Sustainable Living Plan targeting the laundry category in New Zealand, the Cleaner Planet Plan. The Cleaner Planet Plan aims to halve the environmental impact of doing laundry, focusing on greenhouse gas emissions, water usage and waste across the product lifecycle by 2020 – from ingredient make-up, product sourcing, manufacture, packaging and delivery, through to consumer use and disposal.
One of the biggest steps in this Plan is Unilever’s recent removal of phosphate across all of its New Zealand manufactured laundry detergents, including Persil (NZ’s number one laundry brand) Surf and Drive - significantly reducing greenhouse gas emissions associated with ingredient sourcing. The removal of phosphate began in 2008 across the Unilever liquids range, with Unilever powders now hitting the shelves as phosphate-free.
According to Sebastian Lazell, New Zealand has already played a significant role in reducing the environmental footprint of doing the laundry.
“All Unilever laundry powders are locally produced in Petone and with New Zealand’s widespread use of hydro-electric power combined with minimal transportation required, just manufacturing in New Zealand alone help us minimize the environmental footprint of our laundry range.
“The removal of phosphate from Persil – replacing it with lower greenhouse gas alternatives that do not require CO2 emissions-intensive drilling – equates to an approximate 32% reduction in the greenhouse gas footprint of the product.
“New Zealanders are at the forefront of many sustainable practices and we recognise the opportunity to help Kiwis continue to make small sustainable steps. For instance if all New Zealand households used new Persil, it would save 14,400 tonnes of CO2 per year – the equivalent of taking 5,647 cars off the road – compared to using a phosphate product,” said Lazell.
The Persil range now carries the Cleaner Planet Plan logo on-pack, so consumers know they are purchasing a product with no phosphate. The removal of phosphates from the Persil and Surf ranges means that over 50% of the laundry aisle in New Zealand is now phosphate free, significantly changing the overall greenhouse gas profile of the category.
With an estimated 390 million washes occurring in New Zealand every year, Unilever believes the collective action of many consumers making small changes will make a big difference. Through the Cleaner Planet Plan, Unilever aims to help New Zealanders take simple steps to reduce energy and water required to wash clothes with the knock-on benefit of helping households save money too.
In 2009, Unilever pioneered the compaction and concentration of powders and liquids in New Zealand. The introduction of Persil Small & Mighty, a three-times concentrated liquid and two-times concentrated powder, resulted in a yearly saving of the equivalent of 9.9 million plastic shopping bags in reduced packaging. New Zealand’s laundry detergents are now among the most concentrated in the world.
Commenting on the recent SustainAbility survey results, Lazell said: “We are delighted to earn global recognition of the work we are doing across all areas of our business to reduce the environmental impacts and increase the positive social impacts of our products. We remain committed to building on our track record as a leader in sustainability – it is an ongoing journey within which the Cleaner Planet Plan, our manufacturing operations in New Zealand and the collective small actions of Kiwi households is integral.
For more information about the Cleaner Planet Plan, visit www.cleanerplanetplan.co.nz.
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Notes to editors:
* The SustainAbility Survey (TSS) is an online questionnaire conducted by GlobeScan and SustainAbility, completed by 559 qualified sustainability experts in March 2011. Surveyed experts spanned 66 countries in Asia, Africa, Europe, North America, Latin America, the Middle East, the Caribbean and Australia and New Zealand. Respondents were drawn from corporate, government, non-governmental, academic/research and service (e.g. consulting) organisations.
Unilever was named as the organisation most committed to sustainable development with 15% of respondents naming it as a company that pursues policies and actions which “go beyond the requirements of environmental and social legislation.” The next ranked companies were General Electric and Interface, tied for second equal, each with 12% of the vote.
TSS is designed to assist corporate leaders navigate the challenges and opportunities related to sustainability through ongoing engagement with thought leaders from around the world and a variety of sectors.
** Unilever’s Sustainable Living Plan has three overarching goals. By 2020, Unilever aims to:
Halve the environmental footprint of its products
Source 100% of its agricultural raw materials sustainably
Help more than one billion people take action to improve their health and well-being
About Unilever
Unilever is Food Industry Leader in the Dow Jones Sustainability World Indexes for the 12th year running. We are included in the FTSE4Good Index Series and attained a top environmental score of 5, leading to inclusion in the FTSE4Good Environmental Leaders Europe 40 Index. We are also ranked 7th in the Global 100 Most Sustainable Corporations in the World, a list compiled by Corporate Knights Magazine. We achieved Platinum Plus standard in the UK’s Business in the Community Corporate Responsibility Index 2009, and were named Company of the Year in 2010.
Unilever works to create a better future every day. We help people feel good, look good and get more out of life with brands and services that are good for them and good for others.
Unilever is one of the world’s leading suppliers of fast moving consumer goods with strong operations in more than 100 countries and sales in 180. Consumers buy 170bn Unilever packs around the world every year, and our products are used over two billion times a day.
Our portfolio includes some of the world’s best known and most loved brands including twelve €1 billion brands, and global leadership in many categories in which we operate. The portfolio features iconic brands such as: Knorr, Hellmann’s, Lipton, Dove, Vaseline, Persil, Cif, Marmite and Pot Noodle.
We have around 167,000 employees in over 100 countries, and generated annual sales of €44.3 billion in 2010. For more information about Unilever and its brands, please visit www.unilever.com