Behaviour change
Unilever 4/4
could play in helping to address this as
a manufacturer," Fenwick says. "We've
got brands like Colman's, Hellman's and
Knorr – these products can help people use up their food leftovers in a more
interesting way if you give them the ideas
and inspiration."
Turning to where the manufacturer
can exert more control – within its own
operations and supply chain – Fenwick
says some big strides have been made
in manufacturing eco-efficiency and
sustainable sourcing. In its first yearly progress statement since the plan's
launch, Unilever reported that 24%
of its total agricultural raw materials
are now sourced sustainably, compared
with 14% in 2010.
The real success story here is sustainable
palm oil – the company met its commitment to source 100% of this from certified sustainable sources early, so it has
now tightened the target to ensure these
sources are traceable by 2020. It is in
advanced discussions with the Indonesian
government to invest more than €100m
in a processing plant for palm oil derivatives in Sumatra to help achieve this. In
addition, renewable energy now accounts
for 20% of Unilever's total energy use.
Tea bags are the biggest contributor to Unilever's waste footprint in the UK
All of Unilever's electricity purchased in
Europe is now from renewable sources,
and it has increased its use of biomass to
fuel boilers in its manufacturing operations in India and China.
However, behavioural change remains
the holy grail. Here Unilever is looking
to work increasingly in partnership with
retailers, councils, think tanks and policy-influencers to try and find solutions.
Looking ahead, Fenwick is optimistic:
"The generation coming through now
is much more environmentally-minded,
so we'll have a new set of consumers to
deal with and it will be interesting to see
where their priorities lie."
