Unilever is launching a new campaign that brings together the collective power of consumers and brands to show people across the United Kingdom how the everyday brands they love can help to make the world a better place.
In 2015, we raised awareness of deforestation and climate change with our campaign ‘Farewell to the Forest’ supporting the work of WWF to help protect one million trees. Now, we are celebrating that a Bright Future has already begun in a TV and digital campaign that shows people that Unilever is a global force for good, and through their everyday choices they can make a positive impact on the world.
The film ‘So Long Old World' will show how Unilever is already building a brighter future through its brands:
- Domestos is helping 5m people to access toilets
- Persil has helped 10m children to get an education
- Dove is helping 19m young people to build positive self confidence
Unilever’s commitment to creating a Bright Future is at the heart of the Unilever Sustainable Living Plan which is now in its sixth year. Unilever’s vision is to decouple its growth from its environmental footprint whilst increasing its positive social impact. Sustainability is helping the business to deliver more growth and lower costs, as well as reducing risk in the supply chain and increasing trust from consumers.
New Unilever research has challenged the commonly held perception that sustainability doesn’t sell – in fact 54% of consumers want to buy sustainably. Consumers want high performing products at the right price with a purpose they can connect to. Unilever’s five biggest brands – Knorr, Dove, Persil, Lipton and Hellmann’s, are all sustainable living brands, which grew 30% faster than the rest of the business last year.
Commenting, Chief Marketing and Communications Officer, Keith Weed said: “People increasingly care about how the decisions they make affect the world we live in. Our Bright Future campaign shows people that when they buy our products they’re not just purchasing a bar of soap, they’re enabling children to live past the age of five by helping to teach handwashing; and they’re helping children access education.
“Brands with a purpose are at the heart of Unilever and we believe that the small choices we all make every day can make a big difference to the world we live in.”
Since the launch of its Sustainable Living Plan, Unilever has helped around 482 million people to improve their health and hygiene, including through handwashing, improving self-esteem and oral hygiene. Unilever has also enabled around 600,000 smallholder farmers and 1.8 million small-scale retailers to access training and support.
In its own operations, the company has reduced CO2 emissions from energy by 39% per tonne of production; water by 37% per tonne of production; and waste sent to disposal by 97% per tonne of production.