The Unilever Compass is our strategy to deliver growth that is consistent, competitive, profitable and responsible.
Our business simply will not prosper without a healthy planet and society.
We’ve set out an ambitious sustainability agenda to tackle the issues that our consumers and stakeholders care deeply about – such as climate change, plastic pollution and inequality.
We’re harnessing our brands, our people and our partners to create lasting positive impact – on the world and our business.
Find out more about our progress so far.
Summary:
Unilever branding followed by a montage of people going about their daily lives.
Detailed:
The Unilever logo on a glass building with a city reflected in it.
A range of different vegetables being harvested.
People cooking a range of nutritious food.
Three young women at work in a greenhouse.
Children from different countries playing and laughing.
A woman holding a picture of a rich green forest stood amongst piles of cut down trees.
The urgency of our work to tackle climate change, reduce plastic waste and protect nature has never been greater. Our ambitious commitments are making an impact and helping our brands grow.
Climate change is now a climate crisis. We have a plan to take us to net zero emissions by 2039. We’re transitioning to renewable energy across our operations, finding new low-carbon ingredients and expanding our plant-based product range.
Nature is our biggest ally. We’re on a mission to build a nature-positive future. We’re working to eliminate deforestation from our supply chain and to protect and regenerate land, forests and oceans.
Today’s throwaway culture must end. We’re working to keep waste in the economy and out of the environment through ambitious goals to reinvent the way we use plastic packaging and reduce food waste.
We’re uniquely placed to improve the health, hygiene and nutrition of millions of people across the world every day. Through our purpose-led brands and products, and by tackling the barriers that hold people back, we can help people realise their potential while growing our business.
Everyone deserves access to good food. Future Foods is our bold commitment to help people transition towards healthier diets, reduce the environmental impact of the food chain and grow our plant-based product portfolio.
Health inequalities and social exclusion have no place in the world. We’re determined to use the scale and reach of our brands and programmes to improve people’s health, wellbeing and inclusion.
To increase equity across society, we aim to become a beacon of diversity and inclusion, raise living standards in our value chain, create opportunities for small businesses and under-represented groups and help prepare people for the changing future of work.
We’ve set ourselves the ambition of becoming a beacon for diversity and inclusion. We’re using our business and influence to break down barriers and create opportunity in our workplaces, our supply and distribution chains, and in society at large.
We believe that business can help tackle social inequality and we’re determined to raise living standards throughout our value chain. Millions of people depend on Unilever to earn a living so we’re working to ensure that prosperity is shared more fairly.
The future of work isn’t just about data, robots and algorithms – it’s really about people. We see meaningful work as everyone’s right. We’re taking big steps to equip our own people and others for the future.
Our responsible business fundamentals underpin our Compass strategy. We have strong values and clear policies and standards to ensure our employees not only do things right but also do the right thing.
The world changes fast – and some of those changes put human rights in jeopardy. In our own operations, and through all our business relationships, we have a deep and unfaltering commitment to respect and promote all internationally recognised human rights.
We are committed to transparent sustainability reporting. Find out about our approach to reporting and more on our performance.
In Canada, we are working to make sustainable living commonplace across our business by: improving the health of the planet; improving people’s health, confidence and wellbeing; and contributing to a fairer, more socially inclusive world
Improving the Health of the Planet
We’re working both internally and with others to create a circular economy where plastic is reused and kept in productive cycles so that it doesn’t end up as waste. Unilever Canada is a proud founding member of the Canada Plastics Pact, a member of the Ellen MacArthur Foundation’s Global Plastics Pact network. We are also working to create no, better and less plastic solutions in our packaging. In fact, 50% of the plastic used in our packaging across North America is from recycled plastic. Some examples of our packaging reformulations include the launch of our Vim Refill Ecopack which uses 75% less plastic, our Love Beauty and Planet shampoo bar with no wrapper, and our ultra-concentrated Seventh Generation laundry detergent.
Taking meaningful action to address climate change is also essential for us in reducing our environmental footprint. That’s why we have been sourcing only renewable electricity for our Canadian facilities since 2011 which has helped us avoid over 60,000 tonnes of CO2 emissions over the past 10 years.
Improving People’s Health and Wellbeing:
We believe physical and mental health, wellbeing and inclusion are crucial contributors to a wider view of what good health is. One of our largest health initiatives is the Dove Self-Esteem Project, now a global movement for change, which was created in Canada.Since 2005, Dove has reached over 3.6 million young Canadians with Dove Self-Esteem resources to help raise their self-esteem and realize their full potential.The “Reverse Selfie” campaign addresses the issue of the increased use of photo editing apps in response to the pressure young people are feeling through social media.
Contributing to a Fairer More Socially Inclusive World:
We want to see a society where everyone is treated equally. That’s why we're working to create a fairer, more socially inclusive world through our brands and within our own company.
Through our global commitment to ‘Act 2 Unstereotype’, which will see a broadening of our 2016 commitment to ‘Unstereotype’, we are challenging ourselves to create marketing, not just advertising, that will help influence the next generation of people to be free from prejudice. Our SheaMoisture brand funds educational and entrepreneurial programs which are designed to create an inclusive and thriving society from North America to Africa. Ben & Jerry's is committed to creating awareness on social justice issues including marriage equality, climate justice and peace building.
Within our own business at Unilever Canada, we are on a journey to create a culture of belonging where our people can be their best authentic self. We are proud to have a gender balanced workforce. We are also working to ensure that we have an organization that is representative of the unique diversity that makes up the Canadian population.