Unilever Embraces Sustainable Paper Packaging

Bild: Unilever

In the future, the international consumer goods company will continue to use only paper and cardboard packaging from sustainably cultivated forests. Otherwise, Unilever will emphasise sustainability in all core dimensions and is already at the top of the Dow Jones Sustainability Index for the twelfth time.

According to its own statements, as the world’s top consumer goods company, Unilever has committed to a sustainable packaging design for a binding timeframe: Over the next five years, 75 percent of all packaging from the international group of companies is supposed to come from sustainably cultivated forests or recycled materials. The conversion is supposed to be totally completed by 2020.

Component of the Company’s Strategy

These new guidelines for the procurement of paper and cardboard packaging are supposed to be a component of the company’s strategy for doubling sales worldwide and reducing environmental pollution at the same time. Suppliers who work according to the certification standards of the “Forest Stewardship Council” will be given preference. Partners who meet the International Forest Management Certification Standards and fulfil all terms and conditions of the new company guidelines will also be accepted.

Over the course of the upcoming years, the paper packaging for all of Unilever’s brands and products is supposed to be affixed with the Forest Management Certification logos. By so doing, first of all, awareness is supposed to also be increased among consumers and, secondly, the expansion of sustainable forests is supposed to be promoted.

Against Chaotic Deforestation

Marc Engel, Chief Procurement Officer at Unilever, explains: “As the leading company for consumer goods, we process substantial quantities of paper and cardboard in order to transport our products safely and in a protected fashion. By focusing upon sustainable forestry and the responsible handling of our raw materials, we are making an active contribution to combating chaotic deforestation and climate change.” We are firmly committed to working together with our suppliers to rapidly expand the percentage of paper and cardboard packaging being used that is from recycled materials and sustainably cultivated forests.

Unilever is also a founding member of the Coalition for Sustainable Packaging. This coalition is composed of more than 160 dealers, producers and consumers of packaging. In addition, the company belongs to the European Organisation for Packaging and the Environment (EUROPEN) as well as the Global Packaging Project of the Consumer Goods Forum.

Recycling Made Easy

According to the company’s statements, the most important requirement for the development of packaging is considered to be the removal and/or reduction of packaging materials insofar as this is possible. All materials are labelled in order to make recycling as easy as possible for the consumer. According to the company, two billion people use Unilever’s products each day. As a multi-national company, its focus is on making an international and a regional commitment to protecting the environment and addressing social themes – while working together with local government agencies and organisations to do so. In Germany, the Statutory Packaging Directives cover all packaging sold by Unilever. Moreover, in the other countries of the world where no statutory directives apply, the company participates in industry-wide initiatives, e.g. the North American “Sustainable Packaging Coalition” (SPC) and EUROPEN in Europe.

Sustainable Living Plan

These activities are embedded in Unilever’s large “Sustainable Living Plan”. The company has set three big goals to be reached by 2020: To reduce the negative effects to the environment from its products by half, to support more than one billion people to improve their health and well-being and to attain a 100% extraction of agricultural raw materials. The company will focus on sustainability in all areas: Ecologically, economically and socially. By using environmentally-friendly production procedures along the entire value-creation chain, the CO2 emissions from its own production sites have already been reduced by 41 percent in the past 15 years according to the company. Furthermore, as a partner in the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP), the company has made a commitment to better living and educational conditions for children in disadvantaged regions and to improved health through better nutrition and hygiene.

For a total of 12 years now, Unilever has held the top spot in the Dow Jones Sustainability Index in the Foodstuff Industry Division. Only the top ten percent of an industry are listed here and are recommended as top investments for sustainably-oriented investors and fund managers. In Germany, Unilever was honoured with the “2010 German Sustainability Prize” at the end of last year. Together with Puma and SAP, Unilever has managed to earn the top three spots in the category of “Germany’s Sustainable Strategy for the Future”.