Case Study: A Vision for Unilever
In 2009, the multinational company Unilever adopted a new strategic vision that integrated societal and environmental responsibilities. The company's Sustainable Living Plan was the center of this strategy. This plan aims to help more than a billion people improve their health and wellbeing, decouple Unilever's growth from its environmental impact, increase its social impact, and enhance the livelihoods of all those involved in its supply chain. Read this chapter to discover how Unilever merged sustainability with profitable growth.
What steps did Unilever take to re-engineer the company and implement the Sustainable Living Plan successfully? How did sustainable innovation play a role in helping Unilever achieve its goals? What were the results?
Leadership Do's And Don'ts
"If the tone is not set from the top, you will not be able to achieve anything. The shadow a leader casts is critical. For example, through the systems and enabling framework you put in place.
"Let's take the World Business Council for Sustainable Development [a CEO-led organization advocating for sustainable business], where we are looking at enrolling other progressive companies to move the global agenda forward. If the CEO does not buy into it, then it does not make any sense to keep going. Or in the UK, for example, through the Blueprint for Better Business, which aims to help companies to bring a purpose to life - if the CEO isn't engaged, it won't work. It starts with the CEO.
"Then you have to set up a focused programme that is relevant to your business, with clear targets and dates so that people know what you're measuring and what is successful. First and foremost, you need to implement that into your company. We took one year internally setting up the Unilever Sustainable Living Plan before we launched it, because if your own employees do not buy into it, then you will never get external stakeholders to buy into it. That is why Unilever said we are going to reach zero waste across our global factory network. We are moving to green energy. We have committed to 100 percent recyclable packaging by 2025. We are working with smallholder farmers to improve their livelihoods. We are ensuring that women are represented and championed right across the value chain. We were the first company to issue a detailed human rights report built on the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights framework. Your own employees need to see that you walk the talk and that you get things in order internally.
"The next step is to leverage your value chain and involve your suppliers across your value chain for more impact. The final step is to drive transformative change - or systemic change - to transform the entire industry. For example, tackling deforestation, ensuring labor rights, and fighting inequality. These are the efforts that will deliver impactful and lasting change to help build a better world.