10 Years of the Unilever Sustainable Living Plan [ENG SUBS]

Summary

The video script discusses Unilever's US LP as a visionary framework that has set the company apart by driving ambitious goals and metrics. It highlights the company's leadership in sustainable practices, such as reducing emissions and eliminating PVC use, and emphasizes the importance of sharing knowledge with competitors. The speaker reflects on the challenges of consumer behavior change and the need for collective efforts to address global issues like inequality and women's safety. The script concludes by celebrating the transformative impact of Unilever's initiatives and the importance of continuous improvement and ambition.

Takeaways

• 🌟 The U.S. LP provided a visionary framework with clear goals and metrics that set Unilever apart in the business world.
• 🌱 Unilever believes in an integrated failure model and aims to champion a responsible business model that reflects societal needs.
• 🎯 The ambitious goals of the U.S. LP required Unilever to think and operate beyond their comfort zone, without a predefined path to success.
• 🛣️ The LP served as a 'North Star', guiding Unilever to build on its foundations and develop a purpose-driven approach.
• 🔄 Unilever was a pioneer in banning the use of PVC and promoting more sustainable materials and practices within the industry.
• 🤝 The company emphasizes the importance of sharing knowledge with competitors and partners to encourage industry-wide sustainability.
• 🍭 Unilever led the way in reformulating products to be healthier, using less sugar and more natural ingredients, without compromising taste or affordability.
• 🌡️ Reducing consumer emissions has been a significant challenge, as changing habits, such as long showers or baths, is difficult.
• 🌾 Unilever acknowledges the difficulty in impacting crops not sourced directly and the importance of visibility in the supply chain.
• 🌐 The company has been instrumental in convening partners and initiating programs for sustainable palm oil and other key commodities.
• 🏆 Unilever's commitment to the U.S. LP has made it an attractive employer, attracting people who want to work for a purpose.
• 🚀 The journey of the U.S. LP has been transformative, with the company achieving significant milestones and recognizing areas for further improvement.
• 💪 Unilever's work is about driving large-scale, transformational change, impacting millions of lives and making a real difference globally.
• 🌍 The company is developing a global framework to enhance safety for women in rural spaces, demonstrating a commitment to social issues beyond business.
• 🔄 As the first iteration of the U.S. LP comes to an end, Unilever is poised to build on its successes and ambitions for an even greater impact in the future.

Q & A

What does the speaker believe the U.S. LP provided for Unilever?

The speaker believes the U.S. LP provided Unilever with a strong framework for action, clear goals and metrics, and was visionary at the time.

How has the U.S. LP impacted Unilever's business according to the speaker?

The U.S. LP has set Unilever apart and changed everything for the business by providing a clear direction and purpose.

What was the initial feeling of the speaker before the launch of the U.S. LP?

The speaker felt mildly terrified the week before the launch, which they consider a good internal benchmark for being on the right track.

How did the goals of the U.S. LP influence the way people at Unilever think and interact?

The ambitious goals of the U.S. LP required people to step out of their comfort zones and think and interact in a completely different way, fostering innovation.

What significant environmental action did Unilever take as part of the U.S. LP?

Unilever was the first company in the world to ban the use of PVC, demonstrating a commitment to environmental responsibility.

Why is it important for Unilever to share their learnings with competitors and peers?

Sharing learnings is important because it can inspire others to achieve similar goals, such as zero landfill, and promote collective progress in sustainability.

What challenges did Unilever face in trying to reduce emissions from consumer habits?

Changing consumer habits, such as long-haul showers or long hot baths, has been incredibly difficult due to people's preferences and attachment to these habits.

How has Unilever's understanding of the consumer evolved over time?

Unilever's understanding of the consumer has matured significantly, allowing them to better identify what they can and cannot influence in terms of sustainability.

What initiatives has Unilever taken to improve the sourcing of its crops and commodities?

Unilever has set up round tables for sustainable palm oil and focused on crops and commodities like vanilla and cocoa, aiming to make a significant difference in these areas.

What advice does the speaker give for organizations undertaking a similar journey to Unilever's U.S. LP?

The speaker advises organizations to stay the course despite the challenges, as the journey is worth the effort and can lead to transformational change at scale.

How does the speaker describe the impact of Unilever's work on people's lives?

The speaker describes the impact as meaningful and transformational, not just helping one person but millions, which gives a sense of real pride and accomplishment.

What is Unilever's stance on the issue of inequality and women's participation in society?

Unilever acknowledges the ongoing challenges around inequality and barriers for women's full participation in society and is working to develop a global framework to drive safety for women in rural spaces.

Why is the U.S. LP considered a factor in making Unilever an attractive employer?

The U.S. LP has made Unilever an attractive employer because it demonstrates the company's commitment to sustainability and social responsibility, which appeals to people who want to work for a purpose.

What is the speaker's view on the future of Unilever's U.S. LP?

The speaker sees the sunset of the first iteration of the U.S. LP as an opportunity to acknowledge achievements and gaps, using them as a springboard for even greater ambition in the future.

Outlines

00:00

🌟 Unilever's US LP: A Visionary Framework for Sustainable Business

The first paragraph discusses the impact of Unilever's US LP (U.S. Leveraged Plan), which provided a strong framework for action with clear goals and metrics. It is described as visionary and has set Unilever apart in the business world. The speaker reflects on the ambitious objectives set by the US LP, which required thinking and operating beyond traditional comfort zones. The company's efforts in sustainability, such as being the first to eliminate PVC and sharing knowledge with competitors, are highlighted. Challenges in consumer behavior change and the difficulty of impacting crops not directly sourced by Unilever are also mentioned, along with the company's focus on sustainable palm oil and other commodities where it can make a difference.

05:01

🚀 Embracing the Journey: Unilever's Commitment to Transformational Change

The second paragraph emphasizes the scale and significance of Unilever's journey towards sustainable and responsible business practices. The speaker acknowledges the challenges and advises staying the course due to the journey's worth and its impact on enhancing people's lives. The paragraph also touches on the company's efforts to address inequality and barriers for women's participation in society, particularly in rural spaces. The speaker expresses pride in the team's accomplishments and the meaningful work done to drive transformational change at scale, affecting millions of lives. The US LP is credited with making Unilever an attractive employer and is seen as a springboard for even greater ambition in the future.

Keywords

💡US LP

US LP stands for Unilever Sustainable Living Plan. It represents Unilever's strategy for integrating sustainability into its business model, aiming to drive positive social and environmental impact while growing the business. In the video, it is portrayed as a visionary framework that has significantly influenced Unilever's operations and goals.

💡Clear goals and metrics

Clear goals and metrics refer to specific, measurable objectives set by the US LP to track progress and ensure accountability. These goals help Unilever stay focused on its sustainability targets and measure success. The video highlights that setting these goals was crucial for driving transformational change within the company.

💡Ambitious objectives

Ambitious objectives are challenging targets that push the company beyond its comfort zone to achieve significant impact. These objectives require innovative thinking and collaborative effort. The video emphasizes that Unilever's ambitious objectives in the US LP have stretched employees to think and interact in new ways, fostering a culture of bold action.

💡Sustainability certification

Sustainability certification is a formal recognition that a product or process meets specific environmental and social standards. Unilever's efforts to obtain certifications for crops like palm oil and cocoa are mentioned in the video as part of its strategy to ensure responsible sourcing and improve sustainability in its supply chain.

💡Transformational change

Transformational change refers to significant, systemic shifts that fundamentally alter the way a business operates. In the context of the video, it means Unilever's commitment to sustainability has led to widespread changes in its business practices, benefiting millions of people and setting new industry standards.

💡Consumer habits

Consumer habits are the behaviors and preferences of individuals when using products. The video discusses the challenge Unilever faces in encouraging consumers to adopt more sustainable habits, such as reducing emissions by changing their use of products like long hot showers or baths.

💡Inequality and women's participation

Inequality and women's participation refer to the ongoing societal challenges that prevent women from fully engaging in economic and social activities. The video mentions Unilever's efforts to address these issues by collaborating with UN Women to develop frameworks for women's safety in rural areas.

💡Zero landfill

Zero landfill is a waste management goal where no waste is sent to landfills, instead being recycled, composted, or reused. The video highlights Unilever's achievement in reaching zero landfill status, setting an example for other companies and demonstrating its commitment to reducing environmental impact.

💡Benchmarks and reformulation agenda

Benchmarks are standards or points of reference against which things can be compared. Reformulation agenda refers to Unilever's efforts to improve product recipes to be healthier and more sustainable. The video notes Unilever's role in setting industry benchmarks and driving reformulation to reduce sugar and other unhealthy ingredients while maintaining product quality.

💡Integrated failure

Integrated failure refers to the idea of learning from failures and incorporating those lessons into future strategies. The video touches on Unilever's approach to embracing failures as part of the process, allowing the company to refine its sustainability efforts and improve overall outcomes.

Highlights

The U.S. LP provided a strong framework for action with clear goals and metrics, which was visionary at the time.

The U.S. LP has set Unilever apart and changed the business significantly by making a strong statement about responsibility and integrated failure.

Unilever believes in a responsible business model that reflects societal needs and has set ambitious objectives to drive innovation.

The goals of the U.S. LP were ambitious, requiring Unilever to step out of its comfort zone without a clear path to achieving targets.

The week before the launch of the U.S. LP was marked by a feeling of mild terror, indicating a significant departure from the norm.

Unilever's commitment to the U.S. LP provided a 'North Star' for building a purpose-driven business.

Unilever was the first company to ban the use of PVC, demonstrating leadership in sustainability.

Sharing knowledge with competitors and partners is crucial to drive industry-wide change towards sustainability.

Unilever has been a thought leader in the industry, setting benchmarks and driving reformulation agendas for healthier products.

Despite progress in reducing emissions from manufacturing, Unilever faced challenges in helping consumers reduce their emissions.

Understanding consumer behavior has matured, revealing the limits and potential of Unilever's influence on sustainability practices.

Unilever's efforts in sourcing crops indirectly have highlighted the difficulty in maintaining visibility and impact throughout the supply chain.

The Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil was initiated to focus on commodities where Unilever could make a significant difference.

The journey of the U.S. LP has been unprecedented in scale, with inevitable challenges along the way.

Staying the course is advised for the journey's worth and the potential to enhance people's lives through transformational change.

Unilever's work has a meaningful impact, aiming to help millions through driving change at scale.

The U.S. LP has made Unilever an attractive employer, reflecting the company's commitment to sustainability and social impact.

As the first iteration of the U.S. LP comes to an end, it's time to acknowledge achievements and use them as a springboard for greater ambition.

Transcripts

[Music]

I think the u.s. LP provided us with a

strong framework for action and clear

goals and metrics

was absolutely visionary at the time

[Music]

I think we had an expectation of what it

would become

the US LP has set Unilever apart I think

just making that statement has really

changed everything for the business

[Music]

[Applause]

was clear to me that that going back to

the roots of ignored lever who actually

believes in a very integrated failure

champion that we have to put a more

responsible business model out there

that reflected the need of society if we

could set really ambitious objectives

then he would stretch people to think

and interact in a completely different

way not be incrementally the Karin and I

used to write all the dry once we had

got the basic architecture and at that

point became very much' collective

effort the goals were very ambitious it

really required us to go well I sighed

our comfort zone and you didn't

necessarily have a path mapped out of

how we were going to achieve all of

these different targets

I remember very clearly the week before

launch feeling mildly terrified but

that's become a really good internal

benchmark for when we know we're on the

right track lining ourselves with the US

LP giving ourselves a North Star all

then gave us those foundations to then

build a purpose

we started working on a whole lot of

programs on materials like rating

alternatives we also were the first

company in the world to bend the use of

PVC

it's really important to share with our

competitors peers partners what we've

learnt because if you think Unilever is

achieve zero landfill why can't others

when Unilever puts a product in a shelf

we dry business and raise people about

poverty that brings opportunities in all

the places where we are operating

[Music]

we were really thought leaders in this

and manga industry setting our own

benchmarks driving a reformulation

agenda well sugar less almonds real full

of delicious natural ingredients we've

managed to do it in a way that's kept

our products delicious tasty and

affordable

we were doing really well in things like

reducing emissions from our

manufacturing operations but doing

really badly on helping consumers reduce

emissions

[Music]

trying to persuade people to change

their habits has been incredibly

difficult because people love long-haul

showers or a long hot bath

I think our understanding of the

consumer pieces matured massively in

terms of understanding what we can and

we can't do

many of our crops we don't source

directly so it's very hard to can like

make an impact

[Music]

sometimes even if you have a

sustainability certification and origin

in the process of trading the grain you

lose visibility of that we set off the

round table the sustainable palm oil we

concentrated on crops and commodities

like vanilla cocoa and areas where we

could really make a difference

[Music]

no one has undertaken this journey quite

on the same scale before there will be

bumps along the way my advice is to stay

the course because the journey is well

worth the effort

in terms of getting things done people's

lives

enhanced you'd have to say that it's a

pretty good decade my emotions are our

sense of a sense of real pride in what

what the team is accomplished and we've

learnt all along the way

the challenge around inequality and the

barriers for women to actually fully

participate in society continue to exist

[Music]

[Applause]

[Music]

work together with you and women on

developing a global framework to drive

safety for women in rural spaces

you leave has been able to convene a

large number of partners and get a large

number of programs off the ground in

many countries and that's what's

required here

[Music]

the work that we do it's really

meaningful in the world it is about

driving transformational change at scale

we don't just help one person we help

millions of people it really gives you

that an understanding that what you're

doing is real and it is really touching

people when we set the us LP to kind of

anything to do a bit less bad was great

the reality is that's not good enough

anymore

[Music]

people want to work there because of the

u.s. LP is made Unilever one of the most

attractive employers in the world

there's really no limit to what we can

achieve when people teams and the whole

company comes together as we approach

the sunset of the first iteration of the

US LP and now is the time to acknowledge

both the amazing things that have been

achieved and some of the gaps our

original ambition and use as a

springboard for even greater ambition

into the future

[Music]

you

[Music]