Unilever Catapults To Top Of Sustainability Rankings

Source: SustainAbility and GlobeScan

Unilever catapulted into the lead this year of companies most committed to sustainability, which goes beyond the requirements of environmental and social legislation.

In an April poll of 559 sustainabilty experts from business, government, non-profits and academia carried out by consultants SustainAbility and researchers GlobeScan, Unilever was chosen by 15 percent of respondents. Walmart came in at 11 percent) and U.K. retail chain Marks & Spencer aficionados made up 8 percent of respondents.

Unilever launched its Sustainability Living Plan, setting more than 50 social, economic and environmental targets, with ambitions to cut the environmental footprint of its products in half, sustainably source 100 percent of its agricultural raw materials, and help 1 billion people improve their health and well-being last November. And Unilever Canada became the single largest commercial purchaser of renewable power in that country, through a 59,000 MWh a year contract.

Asked the reasoning behind their choosing one organization or another as leaders in sustainable development, 37 percent of respondents chose “commitment to sustainability values”, followed by 21 percent for “sustainable products/services/supply chain” and 14 percent for “integration into core business model”.