Just earlier today, Unilever announced that its brands will push one billion euros (roughly $1.13 billion) into an in-house climate and nature fund. But, that's not all they pledged...
You may know Unilever as one of the largest consumer goods distributors on Earth. You probably use brands like Ben and Jerry's, Hellman's Mayo, Q-tips, Lipton, Skippy, Axe, Dove, St. Ives, and Bertoli every single day. What you might not have known is that Unilever owns and manages all of these brands. This company is worth over $140 Billion, and they're poised to attempt to tackle the climate crisis head-on.
This morning, Alan Jope, the CEO of Unilever, released this statement: “While the world is dealing with the devastating effects of the Covid-19 pandemic, and grappling with serious issues of inequality, we can’t let ourselves forget that the climate crisis is still a threat to all of us.”
“Climate change, natural degradation, biodiversity decline, water scarcity — all these issues are interconnected, and we must address them all simultaneously.”
On top of making the one billion euro pledge, Unilever also viewed to reduce half of its virgin plastic use by 2025. They plan on attacking that by reducing the amount of plastic packaging on their products, as well as using primarily recycled plastics to supplement that decline.
In addition to releasing their statement, Unilever challenged 31 non-governmental business groups to attempt to match the change that they see in the world. They state in that open letter that coronavirus “forced all of us to rethink the world we want to live in,” and they want to emphasize the importance of connectedness and collaboration in the capitalistic sphere.