Inside Supply Management Magazine

Implementing a CorporateSustainable Living Initiative

May 18, 2016

Unilever Sustainable Living Plan

ISM2016 session on Tuesday, May 17

Presenter: Craig Gentry, vice president, business development, Unilever Food Solutions North America

Unilever is on a sustainable living mission.

The company’s Sustainable Living Plan is on the way to help more than 1 billion people improve their health and well-being and enhance their lifestyles as well as halve the environmental footprint of its products, Gentry says.

Unilever

Key takeaways:

The brand, which includes such products as Ben & Jerry’s and Dove, accounts for 50 percent of Unilever’s growth and is more profitable than standard products, Gentry says.

One of the challenges Unilever has faced is that it can’t always control every factor that affects the environmental footprint. For example, increased use of a sustainable Unilever soap product by consumers means more water is being consumed.

Unlike organic products, there isn’t a standard code that addresses sustainable agriculture. Unilever has developed its own code and hopes it will become the industry standard.

Key quote: “We’re trying to make sustainable living commonplace.”

ISM2016 is May 15-18 in Indianapolis.