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We’re building a business the world can be proud of
Ten years ago we set out on a journey to become the world’s most sustainable business.
To prove that growth doesn’t have to come at the expense of people and planet.
To show that business can be a force for good – through actions, not just words.
We’ve achieved many of our goals, but failed to reach others.
A decade on, we’re sharing what we’ve learnt along the way.
And we’re putting that learning at the heart of a new, even more ambitious strategy.
Looking back on a pioneering decade
In 2010, we launched the Unilever Sustainable Living Plan (USLP).
The USLP changed the game. At a time when most businesses saw sustainability and business as separate, we saw that they were linked.
This wasn’t a sustainability plan.
It was a plan for a successful, sustainable business.
We looked at every aspect of our value chain and framed our approach around big goals that we knew were at the heart of the global sustainable development agenda.
Climate action. Gender equality. The health and nutrition of billions of people. Respect for the environment. A fairer, more prosperous world.
Then we underpinned those goals with perhaps the most comprehensive range of sustainability targets that any business of our size had ever set.
We’ve seen the way our work has changed the world around us – empowering women, protecting forests, improving health and supporting sustainable farming.
And we’ve seen the benefits to our business.
But although we have accomplished a great deal, we still have work to do.
We didn’t meet every one of our targets.
We haven’t achieved all our goals.
At times, we’ve learnt some hard lessons.
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
Following our Compass
But, as our USLP comes to end in 2020, where do we go next?
Further.
We’re more certain than ever that the course we’re on is the right one – for us, and for the world. And armed with the experience of our USLP, we are setting out to create a movement in which our suppliers, customers and consumers are all part of building a better future.
What does that business look like?
We believe it has to be purpose-led and future-fit – and that it has to drive superior performance.
To get there, we will follow our new Compass – a single sustainable business strategy based on three core beliefs:
We look forward to sharing the journey with you.
We will use the best of business to build the world we all want to see. A business the world can be proud of.