SUSTAINABILITY
The proportion of women in management positions increased from 39 % in 2011 to 41 % in 2012 , compared with the Japanese average of 9 %. Three women were recently added to the leadership team .
Unilever has always had sustainability at the heart of its DNA and when Lever established the business , he believed that you had to do well by doing good .
The Sunlight brand of household soap , the firm ’ s first product , was aimed at making hygiene commonplace in Victorian England where hygiene was a major issue . Almost everybody could afford to buy the high-quality , inexpensive product that raised the standard of hygiene across the country .
Sunlight helped raise hygiene standards in the UK .
Meanwhile , Margarine Unie was providing an affordable alternative to butter for a malnourished population .
Thus the pillars of nutrition and hygiene are the foundation on which Unilever has built its sustainability plan .
“ The strength of our initiative is that it really is linked to Unilever ’ s values . From the earliest days we were convinced that businesses should address the challenges that society faces ”, Bremner explained .
“ Today we live in a world where climate change is accelerating , natural resources are being depleted , and the gap between rich and poor is increasing . Our brands need to be part of the solution ”, he added .
Unilever ’ s vision is to double the size of the business while reducing their environmental footprint and increasing their positive social impact . Their sustainability plan has three goals , to be achieved by 2020 : help 1bn people improve their health and well-being ; halve the environmental footprint of their products ; and source 100 % sustainable agricultural raw materials .
The firm is on target , or ahead of target , for 45 of their 50 goals . However , a remaining concern is consumer usage .
“ Water shortage is a big issue for us , because almost every product we sell uses water either in manufacturing or in its usage ”, he explained .
A baseline study indicates that consumer use accounts for 85 % of the water footprint and 68 % of the greenhouse gas footprint across the value chain of Unilever products .
Thus , the firm decided to try to inspire consumers to decrease their shower time by one minute every day to save energy while reducing greenhouse gas emissions .
“ We want to be able to show people that what you can choose in the supermarket and how you use it , can make a difference . If 2bn people take small actions every day , that will start making a difference to the world ”, he said .
Another concern is waste from packaging . To try to overcome this , Unilever launched refills in Japan in 2003 . These have been hugely successful . Today refills account for about 80 % of the sales of personal care brands .
“ The question now is how to get people thinking about buying things in a different way .
“ We have started making bigger packs costing slightly more , but actually saves the consumer money on average ”, he added .
Unilever was the first firm to use sustainable palm oil and now , according to Bremner , the firm purchases all their palm oil from sources that have been certified as sustainable .
“ This shows that one company can start to make a difference and other companies will follow . And that ’ s really what we
The Kobe factory , set up in 1913 , still stands despite the 1995 Great Hanshin earthquake .
think is important : being seen as an example to other companies .
“ Over the longer term , we want to see this as the beginning of a new way of doing business ”, he said .
In Japan , the tea in all Lipton tea bags is sourced from Rainforest Alliance Certified estates ( excluding Darjeeling and Earl Grey ). Meanwhile , Ben & Jerry ’ s ice cream shops sell 14 flavours that are Fair Trade certified .
In addition , the firm is focusing on supporting survivors of the 2011 Tohoku earthquake and tsunami through its brands and volunteer activities that are led by employees .
Unilever plans to grow its Japan business not only by winning market share , but also by expanding their categories and bringing new opportunities to Japan .
“ We believe consumers are going to look to businesses to be more responsible , and that they want to buy brands they feel stand for something that is important to them ”, he said .
By 2020 , Bremner believes that consumer awareness will be far greater , a necessary change if something is to be left for the next generation .
“ I think consumers will place more demands on businesses to act in a different way and be shapers of society — rather than wait for society to mandate change . I ’ m also sure that Unilever will want to be at the forefront of sustainability initiatives ”, he said .
JUNE 2013 | BCCJ ACUMEN | 23