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Sustainable development

Unilever has a long-standing commitment to sustainability and responsible business practice.

Our contribution

The long-term growth and success of our business goes hand in hand with ensuring a sustainable future for the planet and its people.

Increasingly we are finding that we can only achieve our objectives if we find more sustainable ways of doing business – what we describe as 'doing well by doing good'.

The most important ways in which Unilever makes a contribution is by:

  • Enhancing the health and well-being of consumers through our products and brands.

  • Addressing the sustainability challenges related to climate change, water, packaging and sourcing of agricultural raw materials.

  • Creating wealth in the communities where we operate and bringing benefits to our stakeholders.

Sunflower

Our impacts

An interactive guide to our impacts at every stage of the life-cycle, from concept to consumption.

A woman picking tea

Sustainable development report 2007

A full account of our social, economic and environmental performance.

Some highlights from 2007

  • Completed assessment of all 22 000 food and beverage products through our Nutrition Enhancement Programme.

  • Committed to purchase all our tea from sustainable, ethical sources, and to work with the Rainforest Alliance.

  • Introduced new marketing guidelines limiting advertising to children under 12 and banning the use of 'size-zero' models.

  • Launched new climate change strategy with target to reduce CO2; from energy in manufacturing by 25% by 2012.

  • Named Wal-Mart's Supplier of the Year for Sustainable Engagement.

  • Food industry category leader in the Dow Jones Sustainability World Indexes for the ninth year running.