Unilever has reported early advancements in its sustainability initiatives, focusing on climate action, environmental conservation, plastic reduction, and enhancing livelihoods. The company acknowledges that while progress has been made, continued efforts are necessary to achieve its long-term goals.
Unilever’s Climate Transition Action Plan (CTAP) outlines targets for reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions across its operations and value chain. The company has achieved a 72% reduction in Scope 1 and 2 GHG emissions from its 2015 baseline. Efforts to decrease Scope 3 emissions, particularly from raw materials and ingredients, remain a priority. Initiatives such as the Supplier Climate Programme and palm oil supply chain transformation have contributed to a 14% reduction in Scope 3 emissions related to forest, land, and agriculture, and an 8% reduction in energy and industrial emissions from the 2021 baseline.
In 2024, Unilever set goals to implement regenerative agricultural practices on 1 million hectares of farmland and to aid in protecting and restoring 1 million hectares of natural ecosystems by 2030. Currently, the company has 23 regenerative agriculture projects and 13 protection and restoration programmes, covering approximately 130,000 and 425,000 hectares respectively. Unilever reports achieving 97% deforestation-free sourcing for key commodities, including palm oil, paper and board, tea, soy, and cocoa. Additionally, 79% of key crops were sourced sustainably, and 21 water stewardship programmes were active in water-stressed regions.
Unilever aims to reduce virgin plastic usage by 30% by 2026 and 40% by 2028, relative to a 2019 baseline. To date, the company has achieved a 23% reduction through packaging redesign and increased use of recycled plastics, which now constitute 21% of its global packaging portfolio. Efforts continue to develop alternatives for hard-to-recycle flexible packaging and to scale reusable models.
The company has provided over 80,000 smallholder farmers with access to livelihoods programmes and supported 2.58 million small to medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in its retail value chain through digital ordering platforms. Unilever is also engaging suppliers to commit to its Living Wage Promise, with suppliers representing 32% of procurement spend registered to assess and address living wage gaps.
Unilever emphasises the importance of supportive policies and collaborative efforts to achieve these sustainability objectives, recognising that substantial work remains to meet its ambitious targets.
