Behaviour change
Unilever 2/4
they are interlinked – that growth ambition is dependent on operating sustainably.
"We're very clear with our plan, it's
hugely ambitious, and we can't do it
all by ourselves. We need to work with
others," she maintains. Fenwick, who
is responsible for forging those type of
partnerships across Unilever's UK and
Ireland operations, says it will require
open dialogue and also a wider understanding of how the company's environmental footprint impacts across the
whole value chain.
When you think that Unilever makes
and sells products under more than 400
brand names worldwide, that's a huge
undertaking. Estimates suggest that on
any given day, two billion people are
using Unilever products so the top end
of the value chain – consumer-use – is
where the company is really looking to
focus its efforts going forward.
"We've done some detailed lifecycle
assessment which shows what our impact
is per consumer use – so for instance,
when someone does a laundry wash
using Persil or has a slice of toast using
Flora margarine. In terms of greenhouse
gas emissions, these actions account for
More than two billion people use a Unilever product on any given day
68% of our impact. The biggest challenge we have is around tackling consumer behaviour," Fenwick states.
While lifestyle issues are not within a
company's direct control, Unilever can
exert a strong sphere of influence in
this field, both through consumer-facing
activity and product functionality. In
recent years, its R&D department has
driven development of innovation-led
solutions that can cut water, energy and
material use, such as concentrated laun-
