From 2008 to 2015, the company reduced by 36.09 % the emission of greenhouse gases (GHG) and water consumption, in addition to reducing by 95.36% the generation of waste per ton produced. The company also bets on a broad responsible supply policy to positively impact the entire value chain
Unilever Brasil celebrates important advances in the commitments outlined in 2010, when it launched its sustainability plan and established the vision of generating growth for the business, while reducing the environmental impact and increasing the positive social impact.
In addition to advancing its goals, Unilever found that placing sustainability at the heart of the business also drives the company's global growth as it reduces costs and risks while increasing confidence and credibility in the company and its products.
According to the results of its Sustainability Report presented last year, the company decreased by 36.09% the emission of GHG in the manufactures located in the country, in the last seven years, thanks to the investment in the use of “clean” energy from renewable sources, such as biomass, vegetable oil, ethanol and biodiesel.
The company has also been investing in initiatives to increase energy efficiency in its factories. In the same period (2008 to 2015), Unilever Brasil acquired 19,000 “green” conservators, which consume less electricity than common conservators.
According to Paul Polman, Global CEO of Unilever, the adoption of the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), to which Unilever was pleased to contribute, has provided a global framework to solve the world's greatest challenges for the first time. The first test of the SDGs was COP21, when 190 countries approved the historic Paris Agreement on climate, moving the world towards a carbon-free economy.
Unilever played its part in both agreements, together with other companies, announcing the new goal of becoming “carbon positive” in our operations by 2030. These two decisive moments establish a positive vision for the future. At the same time, they illustrate, more than ever, the importance of sustainable business models. They certainly reaffirm our belief in the relevance of Unilever's Sustainability Plan, which acts as a catalyst for our own actions, as many of our targets reflect those of the SDGs.
Below is a little more of our advances since the launch of the Unilever Sustainability Plan:
Responsible use of water resources
Regarding water, the company registered, between 2008 and 2015, a reduction of 38.71% in the consumption of the resource in its manufactures. Contributing to this reduction are initiatives to reuse water used in manufacturing facilities and administrative areas, reuse of effluents and reinforcement of actions to detect leaks, in addition to technological improvements in production lines.
In addition to actions at the factories, Unilever Brasil is also committed to other fronts to encourage the responsible use of water by society as a whole, such as investing in the concentrate platform. By using less water in its formula, this type of product saves 40% of the resource over a regular unit during the manufacturing process.
Less waste generation and incentive to recycling
Between 2008 and 2015, Unilever Brasil reduced by 95.36% the waste generated per ton of production. Also in 2014, the company reached the Zero Landfill mark for all factories installed in the country and exclusive Unilever Brasil distribution centers.
All products that become unfit for sale during production, storage or distribution are recycled or reused in some way. Waste from ice cream and cornstarch, for example, is turned into feed, and from Hellmann's it is turned into fertilizer. What is not recyclable is destined for co-processing – destruction in cement kilns, generating energy or raw material for the cement industry. To achieve this result, the factory teams seek sustainable alternatives for the disposal of their waste. Nothing else is sent to landfills.
Unilever was also a pioneer in creating, in partnership with Grupo Pão de Açúcar, the 1st recycling program involving industry and retail in Brazil, still in 2001. The project makes it possible to work on the concept of reverse logistics through shared responsibility in managing recyclable waste, involving industry, retail, consumers and government.
Located in the parking lots of Pão de Açúcar stores, the stations receive paper, glass, plastic, metal and used cooking oil. Recyclable materials are donated to the program's partner cooperatives, generating direct and indirect jobs.
Responsible sourcing – sustainability across the value chain
Unilever has developed two codes that must be followed by its partners: the Responsible Sourcing Policy, launched in 2014; and the Sustainable Agriculture Code, launched in 2010. The responsible sourcing policy is based on 12 fundamental principles and must be followed by all companies that do business with Unilever. Today, 99% of Unilever Brasil's strategic suppliers (80% of the purchase volume) meet the mandatory requirements of the policy.
The Sustainable Agriculture Code brings together the best practices that suppliers must follow to ensure the sustainable cultivation of agricultural products. In addition to issues specifically related to sustainability, the code also takes into account aspects of the safety and well-being of workers and has a specific chapter on responsible sourcing that contains the same 12 fundamental principles of the Responsible Sourcing Policy. To put the methodology into practice, the company visits producers, provides advice on improving production and audits on working conditions, land and water use, climate, local biodiversity, among others.
The results are promising: more than 90% of the fruits used by Unilever come from sustainable sources, 100% of cocoa and soy are certified.
About Unilever's Sustainability Plan
Based on the study of the social, economic and environmental impact of the life cycle of several of its products, Unilever's Sustainability Plan aims to generate growth for the business, while reducing the environmental impact and increasing the positive social impact. The Plan sets three global goals:
- Help more than 1 billion people take action to improve their health and well-being to be achieved by 2020;
- Halve the environmental footprint of your products to be achieved by 2030;
- And improve the living conditions of hundreds of thousands of people as we grow the business to be achieved by 2020.
To learn about all the pillars of Unilever's Sustainability Plan, visit: http://www.unilever.com.br/aboutus/estrategiadesustentabilidade/relatoriodesustentabilidade/
About Unilever
Unilever is one of the world leaders in the marketing of food, household cleaning and personal care products, with sales in over 190 countries, reaching 2 billion consumers per day who consume the more than 400 brands available in its product portfolio. Worldwide, the company has 169,000 employees and generated sales of €52.7 billion in 2016.
The company has a simple purpose – to make sustainability part of everyone's everyday life. That is why, in 2010, it announced the Unilever Sustainability Plan, whose vision is to generate growth for the business while reducing the environmental impact and increasing the positive impact on society.
Unilever was the first company in the ranking of its sector in the Dow Jones Sustainability Index 2015. In the FTSE4Good Index, it obtained the maximum environmental score of 5. It led the list of Global Leaders in Corporate Sustainability in the annual survey GlobeScan/SustainAbility 2016 for the sixth year consecutive year, and was named the most sustainable food and beverage company in Oxfam's Behind the Brands Scorecard in 2016 for the second year.
In Brazil for 87 years, Unilever products are found in 100% of Brazilian homes, and, over the course of a year, reach 46 million homes every month. There are more than eight decades of success, achievements, conviviality and relationship with the consumer, anticipating desires, meeting needs and building consecrated brands such as Arisco, Axe, Becel, Brilhante, Cif, Close-Up, Comfort, Dove, Fofo, Hellmann's, Kibon , Knorr, Lifebuoy, Lux, Maizena, OMO, Rexona, Seda, TRESemmé, VIM, among others.
For additional information about Unilever and its brands, visit www.unilever.com.br.
See also the page https://futuromelhor.unilever.com.br a platform that unites and amplifies the efforts of an ever-growing community of people who believe it is possible to build a world where everyone can live well and sustainably.
