Unilever unveils €1bn plan for sustainability projects

Global FMCG giant Unilever has announced its plans to invest €1bn in new Climate & Nature Fund over the next decade for sustainability projects.

As part of this initiative, the company aims to achieve net-zero emissions from all its products by 2039, as well as work with a new generation of farmers and focus on new programmes to protect and restore forests.

Unilever CEO Alan Jope said: “While the world is dealing with the devastating effects of the Covid-19 pandemic, and grappling with serious issues of inequality, we can’t let ourselves forget that the climate crisis is still a threat to all of us.

“Climate change, natural degradation, biodiversity decline, water scarcity – all these issues are interconnected, and we must address them all simultaneously.

“In doing so, we must also recognise that the climate crisis is not only an environmental emergency; it also has a terrible impact on lives and livelihoods. We, therefore, have a responsibility to help tackle the crisis: as a business, and through direct action by our brands.”

The company intends to primarily focus on projects such as landscape restoration, reforestation, carbon sequestration, wildlife protection and water preservation.

The new initiatives will build on its existing works, including Ben & Jerry’s initiative to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from dairy farms, Knorr supporting farmers to grow food more sustainably, and Seventh Generation advocating for clean energy for all.

The sustainable projects that Unilver will execute using its new fund include the Regenerative Agriculture Code for all its suppliers, implementing water stewardship programmes in 100 locations by 2030, and attaining a deforestation-free supply chain by 2023.

Unilever chief supply chain officer Marc Engel said: “Our collective responsibility in tackling the climate crisis is to drive an absolute reduction of greenhouse gas emissions, not simply focus on offsetting – and we have the scale and determination to make it happen.

“But this is not enough. If we want to have a healthy planet long into the future, we must also look after nature: forests, soil biodiversity and water ecosystems.

“In most parts of the world, the economic and social inclusion of farmers and smallholders in sustainable agricultural production is the single most important driver of change for halting deforestation, restoring forests and helping regenerate nature.”