Our impacts
Our business and brands have impacts at every stage of their life cycle: from sourcing raw materials through manufacture and distribution to final consumer use and disposal.
An overview of our impacts
We use our understanding of consumers' everyday needs for nutrition, hygiene and personal care to create high-quality branded products that are safe to use, competitively priced and accessible even to the remotest consumers.
In our own facilities, where we have direct control, we are reducing our impacts, such as using less water in our factories. In our extended supply chain, where we have influence rather than direct control, we are working with suppliers to help them meet our standards and address sustainability issues.
The area of our value chain where we have least control – but perhaps the greatest potential to make a difference – is how consumers use our products. Here products, such as detergents that require less rinsing, and campaigns to promote behaviour change can help to reduce impacts.
Understanding consumer needs
Our aim is to meet consumers' everyday needs for nutrition, hygiene and personal care.
What we do:
Make high-quality products that are safe to use
Make products affordable and accessible to consumers
Understand the environmental constraints, such as water scarcity, within which consumers use our products.
Innovation & R&D
Through our investment in research and development, we aim to meet the diverse and changing needs of consumers in all our markets.
What we do:
Enhance the nutritional quality of our foods
Minimise the adverse environmental impacts of our products
Incorporate social, economic and environmental factors into brand development plans, using Brand Imprint methodology
Research and promote alternatives to animal testing
Collaborate with academic and business partners around the world.
Suppliers
We aim to encourage sustainability practices in our supply chain. Through responsible sourcing, we seek to raise standards in line with the requirements set out in our Business Partner Code.
What we do:
Ensure fair working conditions in the supply chain and respect for human rights
Ensure suppliers meet standards on health, safety and environmental protection
Work with other companies to define common supplier assessment processes and share performance data
Work with our agricultural suppliers and growers to move towards more sustainable growing practices.
Production & manufacturing
We seek to manage the impacts of our operations on society and the environment.
What we do:
Protect the health and safety of employees at work
Respect employees' fundamental rights and encourage personal development
Invest in local communities and contribute to local economic development
Improve the eco-efficiency of our manufacturing sites and set ambitious targets, particularly for CO2 emissions.
Distribution & retail
Our aim is to be the supplier of choice for our customers and to ensure that consumers have ready access to our products through different distribution channels.
What we do:
Work in partnership with retailers on sustainability issues
Support retailers in educating consumers on health and sustainability issues
Reduce environmental impacts resulting from distribution of our products
Ensure consumers everywhere have access to our products.
Marketing, consumption & disposal
We communicate responsibly with our consumers through our advertising and marketing.
What we do:
Take a responsible approach to marketing and advertising
Help consumers make healthier choices in their diet
Work to ensure consumer confidence in chemicals used in home and personal care products
Help consumers to reduce their environmental impacts and to dispose of our products responsibly.
