Unilever Sustainable Living Plan

In November 2010, we set out the Unilever Sustainable Living Plan, committing to a ten year journey towards sustainable growth. What makes our Plan different is that it applies right across the value chain. We are taking responsibility not just for our own direct operations but for our suppliers, distributors and - crucially - for how our consumers use our brands. Underpinning the Plan are around 60 targets. Here we report on our progress in the first year of the Plan.

Improving health and well-being

We estimate that we helped 135 million people take action to improve their health and well-being.

HEALTH & HYGIENE

girl washing hands.

By 2020 we will help more than a billion people to improve their hygiene habits and we will bring safe drinking water to 500 million people. This will help reduce the incidence of life-threatening diseases like diarrhea.

Key

  • achieved
  • on-plan
  • off-plan
  • missed target

We have reached 100 million people with our handwashing, oral care and self-esteem programs, and a further 35 million with safe drinking water.

IMPROVING NUTRITION

a woman cooking at home in a kitchen.

We will continually work to improve the taste and nutritional quality of all our products. By 2020 we will double the proportion of our portfolio that meets the highest nutritional standards, based on globally recognized dietary guidelines. This will help hundreds of millions of people to achieve a healthier diet.

Key

  • achieved
  • on-plan
  • off-plan
  • missed target

We increased the proportion of our portfolio that meets the highest nutritional standards from 22% in 2010 to 25% in 2011.

Reducing environmental impact

An interim sample of 2010 data shows that our environmental footprint has remained broadly unchanged.*

Greenhouse gases

man washing laundry using a washing machine.

Halve the greenhouse gas impact of our products across the lifecycle by 2020.*

Key

  • achieved
  • on-plan
  • off-plan
  • missed target

Our greenhouse gas (GHG) footprint has remained broadly unchanged.*

Water

woman in a shower.

Halve the water associated with the consumer use of our products by 2020. *

Key

  • achieved
  • on-plan
  • off-plan
  • missed target

Our water footprint has remained broadly unchanged.*

Waste

a man with a clipboard checking Unilever packaging.

Halve the waste associated with the disposal of our products by 2020.*

Key

  • achieved
  • on-plan
  • off-plan
  • missed target

*Throughout this website our environmental targets are expressed on a ‘per consumer use’ basis. This means a single use, portion or serving of a product. We have taken a lifecyle approach with a baseline of 2008.

In seven water-scarce countries representing around half the world’s population.

Enhancing livelihoods

We do not yet have a robust methodology for measuring improvements in livelihoods. In 2012 we will work to develop one.

SUSTAINABLE SOURCING

a farmer with sustainable sourced rice and tomatoes.

By 2020 we will source 100% of our agricultural raw materials sustainably.

Key

  • achieved
  • on-plan
  • off-plan
  • missed target

BETTER LIVELIHOODS

better livelihoods.

By 2020 we will engage with at least 500,000 smallholder farmers and 75,000 small-scale distributors in our supply network.

Key

  • achieved
  • on-plan
  • off-plan
  • missed target

We revised our smallholder farmers target. We engaged with 45,000 small-scale distributors.