Unilever in the Philippines
Since inception of one of our first brands, Sunlight soap, during a time where poverty and poor sanitation plagued early societies, Unilever’s founders revolutionized hygiene by employing locals to produce low-cost packaged soap. Ensuring accessibility while providing livelihood, this set a precedent for a purpose-driven business that has spanned generations.
The almost-century old company in the Philippines has since manufactured and distributed well-loved household brands such as Dove, Knorr, Surf, and many more, placing us in a position of both opportunity and responsibility to influence change for the society and the environment.
The company has forged a culture of Malasakit (genuine concern for others) and strongly champions Diversity and Inclusion. Unilever actively engages its employees to Win with Purpose and firmly believes that when products meet social needs and help people live sustainably, brands become more relevant to consumers.
Unilever Philippines upholds the legacy of a business built on sustainability and that has deemed them worthy to receive recognition from Asia Corporate Excellence & Sustainability Awards as one of Asia’s Top Green Companies, ASIA CEO Awards as a Top CSR Company of the Year and the HR Asia Awards 2018 as among the Best Companies to Work for in Asia.
Unilever Philippines forms part of a global network committed to making Sustainability commonplace. This is Winning with Purpose—key to this is a shared belief that what is good for the people and the planet is good for business.
What are some ways local businesses and communities can collaborate to ensure that workers earn a living wage, while keeping the business sustainable?
How can we bring together employers, employees, and consumers to create a system where everyone agrees on fair wages that benefit both workers and the economy?
What resources or support do small businesses in your community need to succeed, and how can we work together to provide these resources?
How can local governments, larger corporations, and communities partner with SMEs to help them grow and thrive in a competitive marketplace?
Questions:
What are the most significant systemic challenges in your community that prevent people from achieving decent livelihoods, and how can we address them together?
How can partnerships between governments, businesses, and civil society help tackle income inequality and improve the livelihoods of farmers, workers, and small business owners in a way that benefits everyone?
Operational emissions are directly within our control, and our priority is reducing these emissions to meet our net-zero target by 2030. This requires innovation in energy use and operational processes across all facilities.
How can we ensure that our operational emissions reduction strategies are both feasible and impactful to meet the 2030 target?
The energy and industrial sectors contribute significantly to our value chain emissions, and addressing these emissions will require coordinated efforts across partners. To meet our target, we need to engage with suppliers and industry leaders on energy efficiency and emissions reduction practices.
How can we collaborate with our supply chain partners to reduce energy and industrial emissions and ensure they align with our 2030 target?
Agriculture, land use, and deforestation contribute significantly to emissions in our supply chain. Tackling FLAG emissions requires distinct approaches, including the promotion of sustainable farming practices, forest conservation, and land management.
How can we work with stakeholders across agriculture and forestry to implement solutions that significantly reduce FLAG emissions by 2030?
Sustainable sourcing is vital for minimizing environmental and social impacts. Ensuring that 95% of key crops are sustainably sourced requires a comprehensive approach, including better farming practices, certification, and transparency across our entire supply chain.
How can we increase the volume of key crops sourced sustainably by 2030 and ensure this is verifiable throughout the supply chain?
Regenerative Agriculture has the potential to improve soil health, biodiversity, and carbon sequestration. Scaling these practices across 1 million hectares will require collaboration with farmers, agricultural organizations, and landowners to adopt regenerative methods at a significant scale.
How can we partner with stakeholders in agriculture to scale regenerative practices across 1 million hectares by 2030?
Natural ecosystems face increasing threats from deforestation, pollution, and climate change. To protect and restore 1 million hectares, we must work with conservation organizations, local communities, and governments to protect critical ecosystems and restore damaged lands.
How can we collaborate with conservationists, governments, and communities to restore 1 million hectares of natural ecosystems by 2030?
Water scarcity is a growing global challenge, particularly in water-stressed regions. To address this, we are committed to implementing water stewardship programs in 100 locations to improve water usage, management, and conservation.
How can we collaborate with local governments, communities, and businesses to implement water stewardship programs in 100 water-stressed locations by 2030?
Virgin plastic contributes significantly to plastic waste and environmental pollution. By reducing our reliance on virgin plastic, we aim to lower our environmental impact and encourage the adoption of alternative materials. Achieving a 30% reduction by 2026 and 40% by 2028 will require a shift in sourcing, innovation, and design across our packaging supply chain.
How can we collaborate with suppliers, manufacturers, and innovators to reduce our virgin plastic footprint by 40% by 2028?
Incorporating recycled plastic into packaging reduces the demand for virgin plastic and supports the circular economy. However, sourcing high-quality recycled plastic at scale is a significant challenge that requires efficient recycling systems and collaborations with industry partners.
How can we scale the use of recycled plastic in packaging and ensure it meets quality and sustainability standards by 2025?
The Problem / Challenges:
To close the loop in plastic packaging, it’s essential to collect and process more plastic than is sold. This goal requires improved collection systems, investments in recycling infrastructure, and collaboration with municipalities and waste management companies.
How can we partner with stakeholders in waste management and recycling to collect and process more plastic than we sell by 2025?
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