UNILEVER SUSTAINABLE LIVING PLAN SCALING FOR IMPACT · founded to provide mass market products such...

UNILEVER SUSTAINABLE LIVING PLAN

SCALING FOR IMPACTPROGRESS REPORT 2014 WORLDWIDE AND IN THE BENELUX

ABOUT UNILEVER WORLDWIDE

2 billion consumers use our products on any given day

190countries

where our products are sold

172,000employees worldwide

€48.4 billion sales in 2014

3,600employees

€ 1.5 billionsales in 2014

40strong brands

ABOUT UNILEVER IN THE BENELUX

1Unilever Sustainable Living Plan 2014

CONTENTS

THE BIGGER PICTURE 2

OUR STRATEGY 4

SUSTAINABLE BRANDS, 6

SUSTAINABLE GROWTH

SCALING FOR IMPACT 10

DELIVERING OUR PLAN 14

PROGRESS IN THE BENELUX 16

UNILEVER SUSTAINABLE 24 PLAN 2014 PROGRESS

2 Unilever Sustainable Living Plan 2014

THE BIGGER PICTURE

Unilever has a simple purpose – to make sustainable living commonplace.In a volatile world which is facing environmental change and rising populations, we see this as the best long-term way for us to grow and bring benefits to all our stake- holders. To succeed in this goal, we need to change the way we do business and to scale up the impact on the issues that matter most.


We are learning how sustainability can generate growth, control costs and manage risk. The economic case is clear.

Through the Unilever Sustainable Living Plan we have committed to halving our environmental impact, improving the health and well-being of more than a billion people, and enhancing the livelihoods of millions working in our value chain – and we’ve set tough targets to make sure we deliver. We’re working with other organisations through partnerships that have the potential to change things on a global scale – with a focus on climate change and deforestation; sustainable agriculture and smallholder farmers; and water, sanitation and hygiene.

Why are we doing this? Because we know the world is changing.

Climate change is taking effect. Water and food supplies are increasingly scarce. Population figures are growing fast. Meeting basic hygiene and sanitation needs is even more of a challenge – and stretching the planet’s resources further still.

We can see how people are already affected by these changes. And we are experiencing similar challenges as commodity costs rise, markets become unstable and raw materials harder to source.

Business as usual is not an option. So we are developing a new way of doing business where sustainability drives everything we do. A business model in which:

■■ all raw materials come from sustainable sources

■■ people’s health and well-being are a priority

■■ workplace rights and opportunities are improved and women get a fair deal

■■ the environment is safeguarded for future generations.

Unilever has a history of tackling some of the big issues that society faces. Back in the 19th century our business was founded to provide mass market products such as soap and spreads to improve hygiene and nutrition. Today, the Unilever Sustainable Living Plan is driving sustainability into every corner of our business and generating new opportunities and growth:

■■ more people are choosing purpose-driven brands, such as Dove and Lifebuoy

■■ as consumers’ needs adjust due to changes in the environment, we’re innovating with new products such as laundry products that use less water

■■ training more smallholder farmers in sustainable practices is making our supply chain more secure.

Progress towards our ambitious 2020 goals shows promise. So far we’ve helped nearly 400 million people to improve their health and well-being. The environmental impacts of our own operations continue to reduce, although those associated with the consumer use of our brands are proving much harder to reduce. Meanwhile the number of people whose livelihoods we can enhance is increasing, following the new commitments we made last year.

But progress with our Plan alone is not enough. We are at a turning point in history, a point where we all need to change for human life on the planet to continue to prosper. A new business model with sustainability at its heart is vital for quality of life around the globe to improve. Only the businesses that grasp this will survive. Only those who grow sustainably will thrive.

Paul Polman Chief Executive Officer, Unilever

GROWTH AND SUSTAINABILITY ARE NOT IN CONFLICT. IN FACT, IN OUR EXPERIENCE, SUSTAINABILITY DRIVES GROWTH.


OUR STRATEGYOUR PURPOSE IS TO MAKE SUSTAINABLE LIVING COMMONPLACE

We work to create a better future every day, with brands and services that help people feel good, look good and get more out of life.

REDUCEENVIRONMENTAL

FOOTPRINT

DOUBLE THEBUSINESS

POSITIVESOCIAL IMPACT


OUR VISION IS TO DOUBLE THE SIZE OF THE BUSINESS, WHILST REDUCING OUR ENVIRONMENTAL FOOTPRINT AND INCREASING OUR POSITIVE SOCIAL IMPACT

UNILEVER SUSTAINABLE LIVING PLANIn an uncertain and volatile world, we cannot achieve our vision to double our size unless we find new ways to operate that do not just take from society and the environment.

Launched in 2010, the Unilever Sustainable Living Plan is our blueprint for sustainable growth.

The Plan is helping to drive profitable growth, reduce costs and fuel innovation.

Our Plan sets out three big goals. Underpinning these goals are nine commitments supported by targets spanning our social, environmental and economic performance.

Our plan is distinctive in three ways.

It spans our entire portfolio of brands and all countries in which we sell our products.

Secondly, it has a social and economic dimension – our products make a difference to health and well-being and our business supports the livelihoods of many people.

Finally, when it comes to the environment, we work across the whole value chain – from the sourcing of raw materials to our factories and the way consumers use our products.

Unilever’s Greenhouse Gas Footprint

RetailManufactureRaw Materials DisposalConsumer

21% 2% 1%4% 70%

Transport

2%

REDUCING ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTby 1/2By 2020 our goal is to halve the environmental footprint of the making and use of our products as we grow our business.

IMPROVING HEALTH AND WELL-BEINGfor more than

1 BILLIONBy 2020 we will help more than a billion people take action to improve their health and well-being.

ENHANCING LIVELIHOODS

for MILLIONSBy 2020 we will enhance the livelihoods of millions of people as we grow our business.

SUSTAINABLE LIVING

INNOVATION +MARKETINGINVESTMENT

SUST

AINABILITY-LED GROWTH

LESS WASTE, LESS RISK

SUSTAINABLE INNOVATION& COLLABORATION

PROFITABLEVOLUMEGROWTH

COSTLEVERAGE +EFFICIENCY


SUSTAINABLE BRANDS, SUSTAINABLE GROWTH

Putting sustainable living at the heart of our brands is growing our sales, engaging our consumers and creating efficiencies.

OUR VIRTUOUS CIRCLE OF GROWTHOur virtuous circle of growth describes how we generate profit from our sustainable growth business model.

Sustainability-led growthBrands that are integrating sustainable living into their core purpose are driving success for our business.

Less waste, less risk By reducing waste in energy, raw materials and so on, we create efficiencies and cut costs, which helps to improve our margins.

Sustainable innovation & collaborationBy looking at product development, sourcing and manufacturing through a sustainability lens, opportunities for innovation open up.


DOVE BOOSTS SELF-ESTEEM AND BUSINESS SUCCESS Dove, our largest Personal Care brand, continued to grow strongly in 2014. Dove’s Self-Esteem Project contributed to this performance. The Project drives consumer appeal and loyalty by improving attributes such as ‘helps me make the most of my beauty’ and ‘works better than other brands’.

In 2014, Dove reached more than 35,000 young people in the Netherlands through Self-Esteem workshops, guest lectures at schools, the ‘MEIDEN Live! Winter wonderland’ fair of ZPRESS (publisher of MEIDEN magazine), our websites and ScoutingNL. In Belgium, Dove works together on the Self-Esteem Project with Eetexpert.be, a knowledge centre for eating disorders. Eetexpert guides teachers in giving workshops on self-esteem. This helped Dove reach 26,000 young girls in 2014.

MAKING IT EASY TO EAT MORE SUSTAINABLY End 2014 we kicked off a unique three-year partnership in the Netherlands with retailer Albert Heijn and the Nationale Postcode Loterij (Dutch postcode lottery; NPL): the ‘Doe Maar Lekker Duurzaam’ (Go for Tasty and Sustainable) campaign. The objective: to show consumers that eating more sustainably is easy and tasty, and to encourage them to actively change their behaviour.

All 2.5 million NPL participants received a €12.50 gift card to put together a sustainable meal for 4. Besides products under the AH Puur & Eerlijk (pure & honest) brand, they could also choose from all Unilever products bearing an independent sustainability quality mark and having been produced in accordance with the Unilever Agriculture Code. An independent survey by GfK has found that consumer awareness of eating sustainably showed an increase after the campaign.

70+ countries where Dove is reaching girls via the Self-Esteem Project

UNOX PUTS FARMERS ON THE MAP In the Netherlands Unox introduces its consumers to the farmers who are at the basis of the Unox smoked sausages with a Beter Leven (Better Life) quality mark.

Since October 2014 consumers can enter the production code of purchased smoked sausages (variants Gelders 285/375 g and Extra Mager (Extra Lean) 275/375 g) on the unox.nl/onze-boeren site. They can then read how the farmers who have supplied the meat for their smoked sausages treat their animals with care and contribute to responsible and animal-friendly production. Through this initiative, Unox helps to make the smoked sausages supply chain transparent.

SUSTAINABILITY-LED GROWTHBrands that are integrating sustainable living into their core purpose are driving success for our business.


17 we’ve eliminated the weight of 17 Eiffel Towers of non-hazardous waste to landfill since 2008

100%of our energy requirements for manufacturing in Europe from renewable sources in 2014

LESS WASTE, LESS RISKBy reducing waste in energy, raw materials and manufacturing, we create efficiencies and cut costs, which helps to improve our margins.

ZERO WASTE TO LANDFILL ACHIEVED ACROSS OUR GLOBAL FACTORY NETWORKThousands of small actions from Unilever teams around the world have combined to accomplish a world first. Dubbed our ‘zero-makers’, they helped us achieve zero non-hazardous waste to landfill across our global factory network in 2014. That’s more than 240 factories across 67 countries – thought to be a first for a company of our size and scale.

Inspired by our zero waste mission, we’ve eliminated the 140,000 tonnes of waste we used to send to landfill in 2008. Now tea bag paper from our St Petersburg factory in Russia is recycled into wallpaper, waste mayonnaise from our Purfleet factory in the UK is turned into biofuel and plastic laminates in Africa are transformed into school desks.

BOTTOM-LINE BENEFITS AS ECO PROGRAMME STEPS UP A GEARBusiness benefits from reductions in environmental impacts are increasing rapidly as we transform our manufacturing processes and redesign our products and packaging.

Since 2008, cumulative costs avoided through eco-production have exceeded €400 million, with energy efficiency playing a big role.

Beyond manufacturing, the savings from innovation in products and packaging are mounting too. In 2014 alone over €200 million of costs were saved, equally from efficient use of materials and better logistics. Examples include compacting our washing powder, compressing our deodorant sprays, light-weight and smaller size packaging and better transport. In one instance, warehousing teams simply changed the way pallets are loaded into trucks, adding two extra per delivery – fewer trucks on the road, and lower costs and greenhouse gas emissions as a result.

WELL ON TRACK We are also working hard to reduce our environmental impact in the supply chain, for instance by collaborating with others. In Tiel (NL) we have developed a state-of-the-art, sustainable warehouse together with our logistics partner Kuehne + Nagel.

The new warehouse not only improves our efficiency and service, it also reduces our environmental impact. The warehouse is full of smart, sustainable features like motion sensored LED lighting, charging points for electric vehicles, solar panels, plumbing that conserves water, and energy-efficient air, light and temperature systems. Thanks to this, the warehouse uses 45% less energy every year. And thanks to its central location our trucks drive 275,000 fewer kilometres every year, reducing our annual CO2 emissions by 320 tons.


SMALL IS BEAUTIFULUnilever’s revolutionary compressed aerosol cans are the next big thing in the deodorant market, delivering significant benefits to the planet, the consumer and the business. Compressed aerosols are an example of how new technology can grow brand value and save resources.

In 2014, we rolled out compressed sprays to five European markets including Belgium and the Netherlands. The smaller cans last just as long and work just as effectively as full-sized cans. However, they use half the propellant gas and 25% less aluminium, saving over 16,000 tonnes of CO2.

In the Benelux, since the launch in the third quarter of 2014 already 16,821 kilos of aluminium have been saved, equalling 1.3 million lemonade cans.

SUSTAINABLE PARTNERSHIPS IN THE BENELUXEncouraging children to exercise To encourage children to play and exercise more, we support Schoolplein14 (Schoolyard14), an initiative of our partner the Johan Cruyff Foundation. In 2014 we entered into a collaboration with Arla and Coop which resulted in the Duku campaign. During this 7-week campaign in the spring of 2015, shoppers at the 240 Coop supermarkets in the Netherlands saved for sports and games materials for schools in their neighbourhood. 76 primary schools participated.

Creating chances for unemployed young people Since April 2015, the municipality of Amsterdam and Unilever Netherlands have been working together in the Amsterdam City Project to reduce youth unemployment and encourage entrepreneurship among young people without work. In the project, young unemployed people can work in a commercial function for six months. They are also given training and access to a network of companies, which considerably increases their chance of finding a job afterwards.

1.3 MLNlemonade cans can be made from the amount of aluminium saved since the launch of compressed deo sprays in the Benelux

LESS HOT WATER, BETTER FUTURE WaterSpaarders (Water Savers) is a hot water reduction programme launched by Unilever, the Dutch World Wildlife Fund and the Missing Chapter Foundation in May 2013 in the Netherlands. In Water Savers children take action in their families to take shorter showers. More than 390 schools are now participating; over 30,000 children have designed labels for shampoo and shower gel bottles with an appeal to their parents to shower for a maximum of 5 minutes, reaching more than 120,000 people in the shower.

In 2014, during the first National Water Savers Day, extensive attention was paid to saving energy. Children, together with the directors of the partner organisations, demonstrated how long 5 minutes actually last by treading water in the river Amstel for 5 minutes. Through the media this message reached 6.5 million Dutch people.

SUSTAINABLE INNOVATION & COLLABORATIONBy looking at product development, sourcing and manufacturing through a sustainability lens, opportunities for innovation open up. By collaborating with partners including not-for-profit organisations, we can leverage skills, capabilities and networks that we do not have.


SCALING FOR IMPACT

We have set a bold ambition to achieve change within our own company. But we are only one company among many and the change needed to tackle the world’s major social, environmental and economic issues is big – and urgent. What is really needed is fundamental change to the broader systems of which we are a part.

We have set out to make a difference to those big issues that matter most.

Scaling for impact is ever more critical in 2015 as the United Nations prepares to adopt a set of Sustainable Development Goals and broker a climate deal to reduce emissions. Success for both will require input and active leadership by business.

By combining our own actions with external advocacy on public policy and joint working with partners, we are seeking to create what we call ‘transformational

change’ – that is fundamental change to whole systems, not simply incremental improvements.

To achieve change at scale, we need to go beyond what we can achieve in our own operations and with our suppliers. We are stepping up our engagement with governments, NGOs and others in our industry and forming partnerships to

demonstrate the change we want to see. Often our partners become the best advocates of system-wide change.


DRIVING TRANSFORMATION IN THE PALM OIL INDUSTRYA decade ago Unilever became a founding member of the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO), to change the palm oil industry which, in some regions, was driving deforestation. RSPO’s aim is to develop and implement global standards for sustainable palm oil. Today it has around 2,000 members, representing over 40% of all palm oil produced in the world, and 18% of global palm oil meets RSPO criteria.

We also drive change by working with our suppliers. In December 2013, we announced a Memorandum of Understanding with Wilmar, an important supplier and Asia’s leading agribusiness group which represents over a third of the global palm oil market. This agreement means that the company’s plantations will only provide products that are free from links to deforestation and human rights abuses.

Other growers, such as Cargill and Musim Mas, have since committed to ‘no deforestation’ policies, which now cover over 90% of globally traded palm oil.

WORKING IN PARTNERSHIP WITH OTHERSTo get to scale we need to align business action with public policy, through partnership and collaboration. One such example is the Tropical Forest Alliance (TFA), created with the governments of Norway, Netherlands, UK, US, Indonesia and Liberia and dozens of NGOs. The goal of the TFA is to eliminate deforestation from the supply chains of consumer goods companies.

The initial focus is on palm oil, soy, paper and beef products, and three regions: South East Asia, where palm oil is increasingly covered by ‘no deforestation’ commitments but implementation remains a challenge, particularly engaging smallholder farmers; Latin America, where deforestation is primarily linked to soy and animal feeds; and Africa, to prevent deforestation becoming an issue as the continent increases its production of palm oil.

Another example is a collaboration initiative in the Netherlands. Early 2015, Lilianne Ploumen, Minister for Foreign Trade and Development Cooperation, and Paul Polman signed a strategic partnership between the Dutch government and Unilever. Together, they will work to promote sustainability.

We are focusing on three areas where we have the scale, influence and resources to make this big difference:

WORKING TO ELIMINATE DEFORESTATION

SUSTAINABLEAGRICULTURE &SMALLHOLDERFARMERS

WATER, SANITATION &HYGIENE




ELIMINATING DEFORESTATION






DRIVINGTRANSFORMATIONAL CHANGE




Eliminating deforestation from commodity supply chains by 2020, to help combat the threat from climate change

















Making sustainable agriculture the mainstream, and so increase food yields and enhance the livelihoods of smallholder farmers

















Working towards universal access to safe drinking water, sanitation and hygiene

In all three areas, the role of women is crucial, both as partners in change and as beneficiaries. Empowering women is critical to eradicating poverty and accelerating global development.

By focusing on these three areas, we believe we can help address the twin goals of combating climate change and promoting human development.

ELIMINATING DEFORESTATIONOur ambition is to eliminate deforestation from the world’s commodity supply chains, and so combat the threat from climate change. Together with others in our industry, we have committed to achieving zero net deforestation associated with four commodities – palm oil, soy, paper and board, and beef – no later than 2020. This commitment also extends to our tea businesses and supply chains.


HEALTH AND NUTRITION FOR SMALLHOLDERS Working with smallholder farmers to ensure that they and their families stay healthy through good nutrition and hygiene drives economic development and helps us to meet our goals on sustainable growth. With the Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition (GAIN) we have created a global programme to help improve the health and nutrition of 2.5 million people living in rural communities.

Our Nutrition Intervention Programme aims to reach the smallholder farmers and farm workers in our global supply chain. It has a particular focus on female farmers, pregnant women and children, as GAIN’s research shows that they are key to stopping the cycle of malnutrition in impoverished rural communities.

A GROUND-BREAKING PARTNERSHIPOur partnership with Acumen and the Clinton Foundation – the Enhanced Livelihoods Investment Initiative (ELII) – is designed to create a more efficient way for Unilever to buy from small producers. It will enable farmers to generate more income as well as to improve the livelihoods of as many as 300,000 smallholder farmers and their communities in Africa, South Asia, Latin America and the Caribbean.

The ELII will be a three-year, minimum $10 million investment initiative to catalyse economic growth and alleviate poverty amongst low-income communities, while creating more inclusive and sustainable value chains. One of its primary goals is to leverage market-based approaches to poverty alleviation, to create and scale up privately-held enterprises which will support smallholder farmers and link them to our global supply chains and distribution networks.

BETTER LIVES FOR 1 MILLION PEOPLEIn September 2014, we announced a strategic partnership with Solidaridad to improve the lives of 1 million people in our extended supply chain.

This builds on our long track record of working together on projects that engage over 150,000 smallholder farmers and workers. The programme will run until the end of 2017 in Africa, Latin America and Asia. It will explore ways to encourage smallholders to grow sustainable tea, cocoa, sugar, palm oil, fruit, vegetables, soy and dairy and will provide training, new finance models and seed funding.

MAINSTREAMING SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTUREOur ambition is for sustainable agricultural production to become the mainstream, as the best way we can help to end hunger, achieve food security and improve nutrition as one of the global Sustainable Development Goals. The world needs to double agricultural productivity and increase the incomes of smallholder farmers. We are among the largest purchasers of crops such as tea, palm oil and vegetables and have a significant role to play.

OUR AMBITION IS FOR SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURE TO BECOME THE MAINSTREAM AND WE HAVE A SIGNIFICANT ROLE TO PLAY


WITH OUR PORTFOLIO OF HEALTH AND HYGIENE BRANDS, UNILEVER IS WELL PLACED TO HELP ACHIEVE UNIVERSAL ACCESS TO SAFE DRINKING WATER, SANITATION AND HYGIENE

COLLABORATIVE APPROACHES TO SANITATIONGlobally, 2.5 billion people still lack access to adequate sanitation facilities. Tackling this challenge will not only save lives but also create market opportunities.

For instance, one of the ways we are supporting the Indian government’s ambition to have a toilet in every home by 2019 is through our Domex (Domestos) Toilet Academies. This is a market-based model that improves sanitation in India and Vietnam by training entrepreneurs to form businesses supplying, installing and maintaining hygienic toilets. Through our Academies we aim to train 250 entrepreneurs and support the installation of 51,000 toilets by 2015.

We are also catalysing cross-sector collaboration for change. In 2014 we launched the Toilet Board Coalition, bringing together businesses, NGOs, academics and social entrepreneurs, with the aim of developing commercially-scalable sanitation solutions.

PARTNERING FOR SCALEWe’ve found partnerships are vital to scaling up Lifebuoy soap’s reach and achieving our goal of better health through better hygiene. Partners help us develop cost-effective interventions that can be scaled up, making handwashing education viable over the long term.

Lifebuoy’s new partnership with the Children’s Investment Fund Foundation (CIFF) aims to reach 9 million children in Bihar with our handwashing education programme. Bihar has one of the highest levels of infant mortality in India.

Piloted in 2014, the programme began to scale in 2015. With children acting as change agents for their families, 45 million people are expected to benefit by 2018.

SAFE DRINKING WATEROver 2 billion people have poor or no access to safe drinking water. Our Pureit in-home water purifier provides drinking water that is ‘as safe as boiled’ without the need for gas, electricity or a pressurised water supply.

Pureit removes harmful viruses, bacteria, parasites and pesticide impurities. Its unique technology delivers ‘germ-kill’ at prices that appeal to low-income consumers – the ongoing running cost of our most affordable model is just one euro cent for around two litres of safe drinking water.

Available in 12 countries, Pureit made rapid strides in 2014, achieving growth of 20%. In 2014 we acquired leading Chinese water purification business Qinyuan, a move which doubles our size in this sector and addresses a fast-growing consumer need.

ACCESS TO WATER, SANITATION AND HYGIENEOur ambition is to achieve universal access to safe drinking water, sanitation and hygiene. The world’s nations are discussing how to enshrine this commitment in a new set of Sustainable Development Goals. With our portfolio of health and hygiene brands, Unilever is well placed to help. Tackling these issues together can achieve a fundamental impact on the diseases that cause ill health and cost lives.


DELIVERING OUR PLAN

In 2014 we made good progress across our commitments. In particular we achieved strong performance for targets within our direct control. Those outside our direct control are proving more challenging.


REDUCING ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTProgress on our second big goal is more mixed. We have achieved our target of zero non-hazardous waste to landfill across our global factory network, and continue to make significant reductions in CO2 from energy and water in manufacturing, reducing them by 37% and 32% per tonne of production respectively since 2008.

However, the consumer element of our target to halve the water and GHG impacts of our products remains a challenge. GHG impact per consumer use has increased by around 4% since 2010, partly as a result of the Alberto Culver acquisition, while the water impact per consumer use has reduced by around 2%.

New technology such as compressed deodorant sprays has helped enable reductions in waste impact per consumer use, down by around 12% since 2010.

IMPROVING HEALTH AND WELL-BEINGWe are progressing well towards our first big goal of helping more than a billion people take action to improve their health and well-being. By the end of 2014 we had reached 397 million people. The brands driving this goal, such as Lifebuoy, Dove and Domestos, have shown strong growth.

In September 2014 we added a new target to our Plan: to help 25 million people gain improved access to a toilet by promoting the benefits of clean toilets and by making toilets accessible. We are the first company to make a commitment to improving sanitation on this scale.

In addition, a third of our portfolio of brands in our Foods and Refreshment categories now meet the highest nutritional standards, based on globally recognised dietary guidelines. Already, the majority meet or are better than benchmarks based on national nutritional recommendations.

ENHANCING LIVELIHOODSOur third goal is to enhance the livelihoods of millions of people as we grow our business.In 2015 we are publishing our first human rights report following the new UN Guiding Principles Reporting Framework. Our Responsible Sourcing Policy, launched in 2014, sets mandatory requirements and good and best practices on human rights.

We are now sourcing over half our agricultural raw materials sustainably, and by working with our agricultural suppliers and other partners, we have helped around 800,000 smallholder farmers gain access to training and support.

Our approach is to further women’s economic empowerment by advancing rights, skills and opportunities across our value chain. By 2014 we provided access to training and skills for 168,000 women and increased the number of women micro-entrepreneurs selling our products in India – the so-called Shakti women – to 70,000.

800,000smallholder farmers gained access to training and support

397 MILLIONpeople helped to improve their health and hygiene habits by 2014

12%reduction in waste associated with the disposal of our products by consumers since 2010

37%reduction in CO2 from energy since 2008

55%of agricultural raw materials sustainably sourced

33%of our portfolio met the highest nutritional standards in 2014


PROGRESS IN THE BENELUX

It has been more than four years since the launch of the Unilever Sustainable Living Plan. Where are we now? We have found that sustainability is actively generating growth and strengthening the relationships with our employees, partners and consumers, but we are not there yet. The following pages will give you an overview of our progress in the Benelux in 2014 and early 2015.


IMPROVING HEALTH AND WELL-BEING 62%

of our Foods portfolio met the target of 5 g of salt per day in 2014

■■ Bertolli (NL) also progressed well. It launched pasta sauces in a bottle with an improved recipe and on average 16% less salt. Bertolli mealkits were tackled as well; these now contain on average 8% less salt.

■■ Unox (NL) reduced salt levels in soups in a pouch and canned soups by an average of 5% and 8% respectively.

■■ Unilever Food Solutions Benelux launched various products with reduced salt levels in 2014. These included Calvé ketchup with 34% less salt and Knorr Garde d’Or sauces with on average 11% less salt. Hellmann’s Sesame Soy vinaigrette now contains 23% less salt. In the Dressings product group, the new Hellmann’s Sandwich Sauces – four unique sauces based on vegetables, especially developed for sandwiches – meet the target of 5 g of salt per day (≤750 mg sodium per 100 g of product). The same applies to the three new Knorr Professional Jelly Bouillons that were launched at the end of 2014 (≤265 mg sodium per 100 g of prepared product).

■■ Through the online ‘Zouttest’ (Salt test) (www.zouttest.nl and www.zouttest.be) we aim to increase consumers’ awareness of their salt intake. In 2014, 6,400 people in the Benelux did the salt test.

HEALTH AND HYGIENE IMPROVING SELF-ESTEEMWith our Dove brand we are helping young people improve their self-esteem. In 2014 Dove reached more than 35,000 young people in the Netherlands and more than 26,000 in Belgium through educational programmes.

NUTRITIONREDUCING SALT LEVELSIn the Benelux we have already achieved considerable salt reductions in our products. We are working hard to reduce salt levels even further to ensure that by 2020 75% of our global Foods portfolio will meet salt levels that will enable a daily salt intake of no more than 5 g, as recom-mended by the World Health Organization.

■■ In 2014, 62% of our Foods portfolio in the Benelux by volume met the target of 5 g of salt per day.

■■ Conimex (NL) succeeded in reducing salt levels in several products in 2014. These include five mealkit variants and eleven stir-fry sauces which now contain on average 9% and 12% less salt respectively. In addition, salt levels in bumbu seasonings and soy sauces were reduced by an average of 5% and 15% respectively.

MOTIVATING PEOPLE TO LOOK AFTER THEIR HEARTS■■ In 2013, as part of the cholesterol awareness campaign, Becel pro-activ developed the Cholesterol Starter kit for people in the Benelux who actively want to lower their cholesterol levels as part of a healthy diet with sufficient fruit and vegetables and a healthy lifestyle. Since the campaign started in 2013, over 100,000 people in Belgium and 450,000 people in the Netherlands have received a Starter kit.

■■ A high cholesterol level is a risk factor for the development of cardiovascular disease. To make it easy for people to have their cholesterol levels checked, the National Cholesterol Test was launched in the Netherlands in February 2014, at 375 branches of Service Apotheken (a Dutch chemists chain), supported by the Hartstichting (Dutch Heart Foundation), the Nederlandse Vereniging van Diëtisten (Dutch Association of Dieticians) and Becel pro-activ. More than 25,000 people were tested. As a follow-up, the Stichting Nationale Cholesterol Test was founded in June 2014 and the National Cholesterol Test went ‘on tour’ with mobile checkpoints. Consumers could have their cholesterol levels checked in their own neighbourhood without a previous appointment. This led to another 90,000 people being tested and informed of their blood cholesterol levels in 2014. For more information, please visit www.nationalecholesteroltest.nl.

By 2020 we will help more than a billion people worldwide take action to improve their health and well-being. In the Benelux we focus on improving our products, providing information on a healthy diet, helping young people improve their self-esteem and encouraging people to exercise more.


■■ In Zonhoven, Belgium, residents with an increased cholesterol level participated in ‘Zonhoven Start’, an initiative to help them lower their cholesterol by means of a healthy diet and lifestyle. Under the supervision of local physicians and dieticians they set to work using the Becel pro-activ Starter kit. Results were positive. After four weeks, no fewer than 77% of the 52 participants had reduced their cholesterol levels.

■■ In 2014 we launched a new creamy Becel pro-activ variant for bread. Becel pro-activ Romig in the Netherlands and Becel pro-activ Délice in Belgium both contain the same amount of active plant sterols* as the existing variants and 59% fat, giving them a rich and creamy taste.

■■ In September 2014 Becel and Lidl joined forces in Belgium during the ‘Week van het Hart’ (Heart Week). At five locations people received free information and expert tips about diet and lifestyle. 1,029 people had their cholesterol and BMI checked and a special ‘Heart Week Menu’ was distributed with fun ideas for healthy recipes. Through this roadshow Becel and Lidl, in collaboration with the Belgian Cardiology League, encouraged people to eat more balanced and live healthier.

* An intake of 1.5-2.4 g of plant sterols per day can lower cholesterol by 7-10% after 2-3 weeks when consumed as part of a healthy diet and lifestyle with sufficient fruit and vegetables. A high cholesterol level is a risk factor in the development of coronary heart disease. There are several risk factors for this and altering one of these factors may or may not have a beneficial effect.

IMPROVING FAT COMPOSITION■■ In 2014, 97% of our Benelux portfolio of soft spreads based on vegetable oils** contained no more than 33% saturated fat and at least 67% good, unsaturated fat.

■■ In addition, our leading spreads in tubs (Becel, Blue Band and Planta) provide at least 15% of the essential fatty acids as recommended by international nutrition guidelines.

■■ New Becel Gold for baking, cooking and frying (NL) is the only solid margarine product bearing the green ‘Vinkje’ (Tick), indicating it is a healthier choice among margarines, low-fat margarines and similar products. Becel Gold for baking, cooking and frying contains fatty acids Omega 3 and 6 that contribute to maintaining a normal blood cholesterol and therefore it is good for the heart. In addition, Becel Gold for baking, cooking and frying contains 50% fewer saturated fatty acids than butter.

■■ 100% of the Benelux portfolio by volume does not contain trans fats originating from partly hydrogenated vegetable oil.

** For all other products in the spreads portfolio, including our blended products, we aim for the lowest saturated fat content without jeopardizing product performance and consumer expectations.

REDUCING SUGAR AND CALORIES■■ Since 2010, sugar content in all our ready-to-drink tea products in the Benelux, by volume, has been reduced by more than 7%. The introduction in Belgium and the Netherlands of low-calorie beverages such as Lipton Ice Tea Green and Lipton Brisk has made an important contribution to this.

■■ We are continuously looking for ways to further reduce sugar content in our products. For instance by using steviol glycosides, a natural sweetener from the stevia plant, we can reduce the sugar content in our products without compromising on taste. In 2015 we intend to further reduce the amount of sugar in our global Ice Tea portfolio to achieve our 2020 target of an additional sugar reduction of 25% as compared to 2010.

■■ In the Benelux 100% of our children’s ice creams contain 110 kilocalories or less per portion. Of our pre-packed ice creams, 86% contain less than 250 kilocalories per portion.

PROVIDING INFORMATION ON A HEALTHY DIETOur aim is to provide clear, simple labelling on our products to help consumers make easier choices that contribute to a nutritionally balanced diet.

■■ As from 13 December 2014 the European Regulation on the provision of food information to consumers is effective. This means that foods labelled or marketed after this date have to comply with the new rules. An important element of the Regulation is that – in addition to clear allergen information on pre-packed foods – the 14 allergens now also have to be mentioned on non pre-packed foods. Unilever states allergen information in capitals. Unilever Food Solutions has developed various materials on allergens (such as an information leaflet and a poster of the 14 allergens) to help chefs meet this new requirement.

■■ All our products in the Benelux already provide full nutritional information according to the Food Information (Commodities Act) Decree and the Royal Decree relating to the labelling of pre-packed foods. Our labels contain a table listing nutritional information on energy, fats (of which saturated fats), carbohydrates (of which sugars), proteins and salt. Many of our margarine products also provide information on Omegas 3 and 6, even though this is optional. The amount of energy per portion is mentioned on the front of pack as a % of the reference intake of an average adult.

■■ To further help consumers make a conscious and healthier choice within each product category, the ‘Vinkje’ (Tick; NL) has been developed of which we are a co-initiator.


■■ Unilever has developed a tool that health professionals in the Netherlands can use when talking to clients: the Vette Koffer (Fat Case). It visualises the fatty acids composition of the most frequently used spreads and cooking fats as well as the amount of vitamins. In 2014, more than 200 dieticians, assistant practitioners and other health professionals received a Vette Koffer through a donation to the Hartstichting (Heart Foundation) or the Diëtisten Coöperatie Nederland (Dutch Dieticians Cooperative). The Vette Koffer will also be available in 2015.

■■ We will continue with the ‘vegetable label’ on the packaging of Unox soups (NL) in order to make consumers aware of the amount of vegetables in soup.

■■ Unilever Food Solutions Benelux’ vision of ‘Eten is Feest’ (‘Eating is a treat’) is aimed at creating personal, high-quality and most of all tasty meals for the elderly. In 2014 it was supported by a UniKIT on the theme of ‘Problem-solving cooking for the elderly’. Subjects such as energy- and protein-enriched meals, dealing with restrictive diets for the elderly and the new ‘Finger food’ trend were addressed.

IMPROVING EMPLOYEE HEALTHLamplighter is a global Unilever project, launched in 2001, aimed at improving the energy level of Unilever employees, so that they will enjoy their leisure time more and can deal better with potential work pressure. Since a number of years, employees in the Netherlands and Belgium have been called for a health check. More than 1,200 participated in 2014 and received a tailored advice on improving their health. The check-up consists of various measurements (such as weight, fat percentage, blood values) and an online questionnaire, in order to chart the risk of physical and mental complaints. In 2014 a questionnaire was added, specifically focusing on mental health and dealing with work pressure.

PARTNERS■■ Together with the Johan Cruyff Foundation (NL) we want to encourage children – either with or without handicaps – to be more active via sports and play. That is why Unilever supports Schoolplein14 (Schoolyard 14), an initiative by the Johan Cruyff Foundation to adapt schoolyards in order to encourage children to play outside together more often. Since 2011 we have also supported the Cruyff Institute for Sport Studies.

■■ In the Netherlands, Unilever is one of the six national partners of JOGG (Jongeren Op Gezond Gewicht - Young People at a Healthy Weight). The local JOGG approach, now implemented in some 80 municipalities, helps young people to eat more healthily and be more active. In addition, in January 2015 the Nationaal Schoolontbijt (National School Breakfast), Wageningen UR, Rotterdam Lekker Fit! and Unilever started a scientific study of children’s breakfast habits in the Rotterdam district of Feijenoord, in order to find out how children of primary school age can be encouraged to eat a healthier breakfast more often.

■■ Unilever Belgium is one of the partners of Viasano, a local public health programme which aims to prevent obesity in children.

200+dieticians, assistant practitioners and other health professionals received a Vette Koffer in 2104

■■ Since 2013 Unilever has worked with Look Good…Feel Better in the Netherlands. Look Good…Feel Better helps people with cancer to care for their appearance. In addition to financial support, we provide free products for use during workshops and we help set up a marketing and communication plan.

■■ Since 2003, Becel pro-activ has worked together with the Nederlandse Hartstichting (Dutch Heart Foundation) and the Belgische Cardiologische Liga (Belgian Cardiology League).

■■ Planta Classic (BE) has been supporting the Belgische Vereniging Kindergeneeskunde (Belgian Paediatrics Society) for more than 6 years.

■■ To encourage people to exercise (more) and engage in sports activities, we have partnerships with the Koninklijke Nederlandse Voetbalbond (Royal Dutch Football Association) (Lipton) and the Koninklijke Nederlandsche Schaatsenrijders Bond (Royal Dutch Skaters Association) (Unox).

■■ Because Unilever Food Solutions wants to be actively involved in future care for the elderly, it supports the ‘Carehome of the Future’ initiative in Heusden-Zolder (Belgium), a unique open innovation centre for care, wellness, comfort and health.


REDUCING ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT

By 2020, we will halve the environmental impact of our products across the value chain worldwide, from the sourcing of raw materials through to consumer use and disposal.

GREENHOUSE GASSES68% of our greenhouse gas (GHG) impact occurs when consumers use our products, in particular when they heat water for showering, washing and cooking with our products. Therefore, it is essential for us to develop innovative products – combined with campaigns aimed at changing consumer behaviour – that enable consumers to get the same results with less environmental impact.

SKIN CLEANSING AND HAIR WASHINGOur aim is to reach 200 million consumers globally by 2015 and 400 million by 2020 with products and campaigns that help them reduce their GHG emissions while showering, bathing and washing their hair. We have made limited progress; overall, this remains an exceptionally challenging target.

■ In the Benelux, Andrélon and Toni&Guy dry shampoos and Andrélon and Dove leave-on conditioners help consumers reduce their hot water usage. In 2015 we will increase awareness of dry shampoos by launching new variants and relaunching existing ones.

■ The introduction of so-called ‘microsheets’ in conditioners – a new way to structure the product – has reduced the use of chemicals, whilst maintaining the same product performance. This has resulted in a lower chemical impact on the environment as well as in a reduction of energy use and, consequently, of GHG emissions.

■ In the spring of 2014 we launched a breakthrough packaging technology. The new MuCell® technology featured first in all Dove Body Wash bottles in Europe and reduces the amount of plastic required by 15%.

WASHING CLOTHESWe are working continuously on reducing the GHG impact of the laundry process by concentrating our liquids and compacting our powders. In addition, we are encouraging consumers to wash at lower temperatures and at the right dosage, so that this will be the case in 70% of machine washes by 2020.

WATER SAVERSMore than 390 schools are now participating in the hot water reduction programme ‘WaterSpaarders’: minder warm water, beter voor later’ (Water Savers: less hot water, better future)(NL). Over 30,000 children have made a label for a bottle of shower gel or shampoo encouraging their parents to take shorter showers, reaching more than 120,000 people in the shower.


REDUCING GREENHOUSE GAS EMISSION FROM MANUFACTURINGIn 2014 in our factories in the Benelux, we reduced CO2 emissions per ton of production by 10% compared to 2013 and by 46% compared to our 2008 baseline. This was achieved by actions such as re-insulating steam pipes, replacing and adding steam traps, and installing an energy monitoring system that can identify and adjust excessive energy use at an early stage.

TRANSPORT, WAREHOUSING AND DISTRIBUTIONIn 2014 we reduced our CO2 emissions by 5% per ton of sales compared to 2013, reaching our European target of 5% per year. We have achieved this by initiatives such as: - setting a higher minimum order quantity - combining deliveries to retailers with other

suppliers - a successful pilot in our ice cream network

using longer and heavier vehicles (LHVs) which resulted in fewer kilometres driven. Together with our service providers we are now examining how we can extend the use of LHVs.

■ At the end of 2014, together with Kuehne + Nagel, Unilever developed a sustainable warehouse in Tiel (NL). Its contribution to CO2 reduction will become clear in 2015.

■ In 2014 Unilever Benelux received its second Lean and Green star recognizing its efforts to take its sustainability activities to the next level.

REDUCING GREENHOUSE GAS EMISSION FROM REFRIGERATIONIn 2014 Unilever Benelux purchased 4,400 climate-friendlier freezers from Unilever’s global ‘Green Basket’. The ‘Basket’ contains only freezers with a more environmentally friendly cooling agent and an improved fan and compressor, using 30% less energy than traditional freezers. In 2015 freezers will again be purchased from this Basket.

REDUCING ENERGY CONSUMPTION IN OUR OFFICESIn 2014 various actions were taken to further reduce energy consumption in our offices, including installing energy-efficient boilers, installing an energy-efficient cooling unit in a computer room, placing LED lighting, and installing a CO2-based air conditioning (fewer people require less ventilation which leads to less energy consumption). This resulted in the following savings in 2014 compared to 2013:

■ In our office at the Nassaukade in Rotterdam gas and electricity consumption were reduced by 6% and in Vlaardingen electricity and gas consumption were down 3% and 19% respectively. In Brussels, climate control was further optimized in 2014 enabling a permanent temperature reduction in the office.

WATERREDUCING WATER IN OUR MANUFACTURING PROCESSIn our Benelux factories we achieved a COD reduction (pollution level of waste water) of 27% last year. This means that our 2020 target has been reached.10%

less CO2 emissions per ton of production compared to 2013

WASTEAt all our sites we have continuous improvement programmes in place regarding waste reduction, recycling and reuse. A few examples are given below.

REDUCING PACKAGING■ The cardboard packaging for Sun contains 85%

recycled material. In 2014 the quantity used was further reduced by lowering the height of packs by 1.5 cm. Due to the filling process in the factory this is currently the best that can be achieved, but we will continue to look for new ways to use less cardboard.

■ Early 2015 an important step was taken in the Sun Classic range. The new tablets not only perform better, they also contain 30% fewer chemicals through new techniques. This has reduced their weight by 30% and decreased the environmental impact of Sun Classic packaging by 15%. These substantial improvements have reduced the use of raw materials per wash which, on balance, generates significant environmental benefits. On top of this, 15% fewer trucks are needed for transport.

■ Since the launch of compressed deodorants in the third quarter of 2014 we have achieved a reduction of 16,821 kg of aluminium.


■ Knorr relaunched its Wereldgerechten (world dishes), gravies and sauces which now contain sustainably grown vegetables. In addition, Knorr introduced Basis voor Pastasaus (basis for pasta sauce) with sustainable tomatoes. By the end of 2015 Knorr’s 13 main vegetables and herbs will be sustainably grown.

BEN & JERRY’S■ In the Netherlands, 35 new farmers joined Ben

& Jerry’s sustainable dairy programme Caring Dairy. In addition to an intensive programme of workshops and developing and implementing improvement programmes, the farmers receive information about Ben & Jerry’s values and are invited to participate in events such as Free Cone Day via the special Farmers Ambassadors programme.

■ Ben & Jerry’s continues to offset all its emissions based on its total footprint in Europe through a reforestation in Peru.

FOOD WASTE■ In October 2014 Unilever Food Solutions (UFS)

Benelux-France kicked off the United Against Waste Challenge. The participating restaurants used the food waste app developed by UFS and during the test weeks achieved a 20% reduction in food waste, amounting to savings of almost €4,000 per restaurant per year. In 2015 the tool will be rolled out further.

SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTUREGlobally we want to source 100% of our agricultural raw materials sustainably by 2020. By end 2014, 55% of our agricultural raw materials were sustainably sourced.

SUSTAINABLE PALM OILThe Belgische Alliantie voor Duurzame Palmolie (Belgian Alliance for Sustainable Palm Oil) has been founded by various players in the palm oil chain including Unilever Belgium. Its members have committed themselves to the goal of using only RSPO (Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil) certified palm oil by the end of 2015. The alliance regards this as a first step in the transformation towards a sustainable palm oil market in Belgium in 2020.

SUSTAINABLE FRUIT AND VEGETABLESAll Bertolli pasta sauces in a pouch (NL) contain sustainably grown tomatoes and carry a special logo to communicate this. The same applies to the 400 g and 690 g jars. This has enabled us to participate successfully in the ‘Doe Maar Lekker Duurzaam’ campaign (Go for Tasty and Sustainable) in collaboration with Albert Heijn and the Nationale Postcode Loterij (Dutch postcode lottery) to show consumers how easy it is to put together a more sustainable meal.

IMPROVING ANIMAL WELFARE■ Since October 2014 consumers in the

Netherlands can visit a special website to find out which farmer supplied the meat for their Unox smoked sausages with a Beter Leven (Better Life) quality mark. Through this initiative, Unox helps to make the production chain of smoked sausages transparent.

■ Meanwhile, also Unox liver pâté is bearing 1 Better Life star.

PARTNERSIn the field of sustainable agriculture Unilever has active partnerships with Rainforest Alliance™ (tea, cocoa), Fairtrade (Ben & Jerry’s), the Initiatief Duurzame Handel (Sustainable Trade Initiative), Solidaridad and in the Netherlands with the Dierenbescherming (Dutch Society for the Protection of Animals), and with the Nationale Postcode Loterij (Dutch postcode lottery) and Albert Heijn to promote eating more sustainably.35

new farmers joined Ben & Jerry’s sustainable dairy programme Caring Dairy



By 2020, we will enhance the livelihoods of millions of people worldwide. Although this goal mainly applies to developing countries and emerging markets, we also take our responsibility in the Benelux.

PARTNERS ■ Since 2013 we have a two-year business

partnership with Voedselbanken Nederland (Food Banks Netherlands). In addition to the annual Christmas boxes initiative with our employees filling 8,500 Christmas boxes for families in the province of South Holland, Unilever has supported the Food Bank in the Netherlands for many years by donating products that for some reason can no longer be sold through the regular supermarket channel. In 2014 more than 2.3 million products were donated in the Benelux. On top of this – and besides the donation of products and 35,000 complete meals – Unilever is also providing facilities and manhours during this two-year period in order to support Food Banks Netherlands, where needed, with its knowledge. For instance, at the end of 2014, Unilever donated €50,000 to improve the logistics process. This will create more uniformity at the distribution centres, making it easier to set up a fair distribution of food.

■ On 1 December 2014 Unilever entered into a three-year partnership with the European Federation of Food Banks (FEBA). Within this partnership Unilever will donate €100,000 each year to support new food banks in Eastern and Southern Europe and to strengthen the activities of existing food banks in that region. In Belgium, within the scope of this partnership, we closely collaborate with the Belgische Federatie van Voedselbanken (Belgian Federation of Food Banks).

■ Heart for Kids, an independent foundation established by Unilever managers, collects money for the WFP school meals programme in Indonesia through internal and external actions. In 2014 it donated 50,000 school meals of €0.20 each.

EMPLOYEE ENGAGEMENTWithout the engagement and dedication of our people we will not succeed in achieving our ambitious goals as set out in the Unilever Sustainable Living Plan nor in realising the necessary changes. It is therefore essential that all our employees fully integrate sustainability into their way of working and mindset. To stimulate this, we have developed a platform to enhance employee engagement and empowerment using e-learning, gamification and the power of social media. The platform has helped us take a major step in Europe to embed sustainability into the DNA of our people.

Unilever Sustainable Living Plan 201424

UNILEVER SUSTAINABLE LIVING PLAN 2014 PROGRESS

HEALTH AND HYGIENE By 2020 we will help more than a billion people to improve their health and hygiene. This will help reduce the incidence of life-threatening diseases like diarrhoea.

397mpeople reached by end 2014

NUTRITION We will continually work to improve the taste and nutritional quality of all our products. The majority of our products meet, or are better than, benchmarks based on national nutritional recommendations. Our commitment goes further: by 2020, we will double the proportion of our portfolio that meets the highest nutritional standards, based on globally recognised dietary guidelines. This will help hundreds of millions of people to achieve a healthier diet.

33%†

of our portfolio by volume met highest nutritional standards in 2014

greenhouse gases Our products’ lifecycle:Halve the greenhouse gas (GHG) impact of our products across the lifecycle by 2020.

4%†

our greenhouse gas impact per consumer use has increased by around 4% since 2010*

Our manufacturing:By 2020 CO2 emissions from energy from our factories will be at or below 2008 levels despite significantly higher volumes.

37%† reduction

of CO2 from energy per tonne of production since 2008

water Our products in use:Halve the water associated with the consumer use of our products by 2020.+

2%†

our water impact per consumer use has reduced by around 2% since 2010*

Our manufacturing:By 2020 water abstraction by our global factory network will be at or below 2008 levels despite significantly higher volumes.

32%† reduction in

water abstraction per tonne of production since 2008

Reduce diarrhoeal and respiratory disease through handwashing †

Provide safe drinking water †

Improve access to sanitation

Improve oral health

Improve self-esteem

Reduce salt levels

Saturated fat: 92 Reduce saturated fat 92 Increase essential fatty acids Reduce saturated fat in more

products

Improve heart health

Remove trans fat

Reduce sugar

Reduce calories: In children’s ice cream In more ice cream products

Provide healthy eating information

Reduce GHG from manufacturing: Renewable energy New factories

Reduce GHG from skin cleansing and hair washing

Reduce GHG from washing clothes: Concentration Reformulation Consumer behaviour

Reduce GHG from transport

Reduce GHG from refrigeration

Reduce energy consumption in our offices

Reduce employee travel

Reduce water use in manufacturing process: New factories

Reduce water use in the laundry process: Easy rinse products Products that use less water

Reduce water use in skin cleansing and hair washing

Reduce water use in agriculture

The Unilever Sustainable Living Plan sets out to decouple growth from our environmental impact, while increasing our positive social impact.Our Plan has three big goals to achieve by 2020, underpinned by nine commitments and targets spanning our social, environmental and economic performance across the value chain.

We will continue to work with others to focus on those areas where we can drive the greatest change.

More detail on our progress can be found in the Sustainable Living section of www.unilever.com.

IMPROVING HEALTH AND WELL-BEINGfor more than 1 bIllioN

REDUCING ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTby 1/2

By 2020 we will help more than a billion people take action to improve their health and well-being.

We have helped 397 million people take action to improve their health and well-being.

By 2020 our goal is to halve the environmental footprint of the making and use of our products as we grow our business.*


KEY

Achieved by target date

On-plan for target date

Off-plan for target date

% % achieved by target date

Target discontinued

† PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC ) assured. For details and the basis of preparation, see www.unilever.com

* Our environmental targets are expressed on a ‘per consumer use’ basis. This means a single use, portion or serving of a product.

+ In seven water-scarce countries representing around half the world’s population.

fairness in the workplace By 2020 we will advance human rights across our operations and extended supply chain.

85%of our strategic suppliers met our Responsible Sourcing Policy’s mandatory criteria by March 2015

opportunities for women By 2020 we will empower 5 million women.

238,000women provided with access to training and skills, including 70,000 Shakti micro-entrepreneurs trained in India

inclusive business By 2020 we will have a positive impact on the lives of 5.5 million people.

800,000smallholder farmers gained access to training and support via partnerships with our agricultural suppliers and other partners

Implement UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights

Source 100% of procurement spend in line with our Responsible Sourcing Policy

Create framework for fair compensation

Improve employee health, nutrition and well-being

Reduce workplace injuries and accidents †

Build a gender-balanced organisation with a focus on management

Promote safety for women in communities where we operate

Enhance access to training and skills

Expand opportunities in our value chain

Improve livelihoods of smallholder farmers

Improve incomes of small-scale retailers

Increase participation of young entrepreneurs in our value chain

waste Our products:Halve the waste associated with the disposal of our products by 2020.

12%our waste impact per consumer use has reduced by around 12% since 2010*

Our manufacturing:By 2020 total waste sent for disposal will be at or below 2008 levels despite significantly higher volumes.

85%† reduction

in total waste per tonne of production since 2008

sustainable sourcing By 2020 we will source 100% of our agricultural raw materials sustainably.

55%of agricultural raw materials sustainably sourced by end 2014

Reduce waste from manufacturing: Zero non-hazardous waste to

landfill New factories

Reduce packaging

Recycle packaging: Increase recycling and

recovery rates Increase recycled content

Reuse packaging

Tackle sachet waste

99 Eliminate PVC

Reduce office waste: Recycle, reuse, recover Reduce paper consumption Eliminate paper in processes

Palm oil: Sustainable Traceable

Paper and board

Soy beans and soy oil

Tea

Fruit

Vegetables

Cocoa

Sugar

Sunflower oil

Rapeseed oil

Dairy

77 Fairtrade Ben & Jerry’s

Cage-free eggs

Increase sustainable sourcing of office materials

Our greenhouse gas impact has increased and our water and waste impact per consumer use has reduced since 2010.

By 2020 we will enhance the livelihoods of millions of people as we grow our business.

85% of our strategic suppliers met our Responsible Sourcing Policy’s mandatory criteria. We helped 800,000 smallholder farmers and 238,000 women gain access to training, support and skills.


for millions

UNILEVER BENELUX The Netherlands PO Box 160 3000 AD Rotterdam T +31 (0)10 439 49 11

Belgium Humaniteitslaan 292 1190 Brussels T +32 (0)2 333 66 66

For further information on our social, economic and

environmental performance, please visit our website

www.unilever.com/ sustainable-living

If you have finished with this document and no longer wish to retain it, please pass it on to other interested readers or dispose of it in your recycled paper waste. Thank you.

PRODUCED BY Unilever Sustainable Business Team ADVICE on reporting Corporate CitizenshipDESIGN www.theayres.co.ukPRINTING Drukkerij ImpressedPAPER Maxi Satin and Maxi Offset

May 2015

FEATURE PHOTOGRAPHY Kieran Doherty, Peter Jordan, Igor Emmerich, DDB Turkey & Bocek Production House, Getty Images, Shutterstock, Symrise, Fjona Hill, Tim Barker for Getty Images, Frans Lemmens, Chris Moyse. Back cover: Mustafah Abdulaziz © WaterAid

We have found that doing business sustainably is possible and that brands that build sustainability into their offer are more appealing to consumers.

We realise that we can make a bigger difference to some of the world’s major social, environmental and economic issues if we leverage our scale, influence and resources to drive transformational change.

The Unilever Sustainable Living Plan is inspiring our efforts.

We cannot achieve our vision alone. We invite you to give us your feedback at: [email protected]

and join a growing community of people who believe it is possible to build a world where everyone lives well and lives sustainably at: brightfuture.unilever.com

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