Our biggest
challenges
Poverty, malnutrition, climate change and water scarcity: these are some of the big challenges facing the world and our business today. Find out more about how we are addressing these and other sustainability issues.
Less water
Water scarcity is a growing problem. We are finding ways to reduce our water use and helping consumers to reduce theirs.
Our reformulated Surf Excel washing detergent needs less water to rinse, helping consumers save water in water-scarce parts of India.
Some performance highlights
Nutrition
22 000
Food and drink products were assessed via our Nutrition Enhancement Programme.
Hygiene & well-being
100m people
Reached through Lifebuoy's five year hygiene education programme.
Greenhouse gases
32.8%
Reduction in CO2 from factory energy emissions since 1995.
Water
61.7%
Reduction in water use by our factories by since 1995.
Community
€89m
Invested in local communities around the world.
Employee safety
Reduced total accident frequency rate to 0.26 per thousand hours worked in 2007.
Our Sustainability reporting
You can view our full Sustainable Development Report 2007 online, download individual sections or read our accompanying Sustainable Development Overview 2007.
- View full online Sustainable Development Report 2007
- View previous years' reports
- Sustainable Development Overview 2007
Our people
Sylvia Rutatina Estate Manager, Unilever Tea Tanzania
Achieving Rainforest Alliance certification for Unilever's tea brands depends on people like Sylvia.
News
December 2008: Award-winning reporting
Unilever's Sustainable Development Report 2007 has taken one of the top accolades at the ACCA UK Awards.
Our world in stories
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Europe
Unilever agronomists are working to make agriculture more sustainable in the UK.
View all case studies -
North America
Unilever Canada's Go Blue campaign is encouraging consumers to cut their water consumption by 50%.
View all case studies -
South America
We have teamed up with Wal-Mart to show Brazilian consumers how to live in an environmentally friendly way.
View all case studies -
Africa
We are one of 30 companies helping the Kenyan government tackle hunger in rural areas.
View all case studies -
Asia
Project Shakti has created a livelihood for 45 000 women entrepreneurs in rural India.
View all case studies
Our brands in society
By addressing social and sustainability issues, our brands can make a real difference and create growth opportunities for our business.
