Towards A Better Future

Hindustan Unilever (HUL) has emerged as a trailblazer in sustainable practices, taking significant strides towards environmental responsibility and empowering communities across India. With a commitment to addressing climate change, promoting diversity and inclusion, and fostering social and economic progress, HUL has become a beacon of corporate responsibility.

Green Commitment

HUL’s environmental commitment is driven by the urgency of the climate crisis. With a comprehensive strategy in place, HUL aims to eliminate carbon emissions from its operations by 2030 and achieve net zero emissions across its value chain by 2039.

“We have reduced CO2 emissions in our factory operations by 97 per cent (compared to 2008 baseline) per tonne of our production by switching to alternative energy such as wind, biomass and solar. We are working towards the goal of net zero emissions from our products. To achieve this goal, we continue to partner with Tuticorin Alkali Chemicals and Fertilisers and explore opportunities for soda ash, which is a key raw material for our laundry products using carbon capture technology,” said HUL’s spokesperson.

Water is a precious resource and a priority area across the globe. Through HUL’s not-for-profit subsidiary, Hindustan Unilever Foundation (HUF), the company aims to support and amplify scalable solutions that can help address India’s water challenges, specifically for rural communities that intersect with agriculture. According to the spokesperson, till date, HUF, along with its partners, has delivered a cumulative and collective water potential of over 2.6 trillion litres through improved supply and demand water management.

Empowering Rural Women

Motivated to do more for the community and financially empower women in rural India, HUL initiated Project Shakti. The Shakti entrepreneurs are given training for familiarisation with HUL’s products and basic tenets of distribution management. “In addition, we have a team of Rural Sales promoters (RSPs) who coach and help Shakti entrepreneurs in managing their business. Across 18 states, Project Shakti has over 1.9 lakh Shakti entrepreneurs whom we call ‘Shakti Ammas’. This programme has helped Shakti Ammas become self-confident, improve their self-esteem and learn communication skills. Most importantly, our interventions have helped in building and fostering an entrepreneurial mindset amongst Shakti Entrepreneurs,” said the spokesperson, adding, “RSPs train Shakti Ammas in sales and admin skills. Shakti Ammas even use eB2B app for regular orders. The Mera Poshan Mera Gaon project spreads nutrition awareness in villages.”

Sustainable Plastic Revolution

HUL is dedicated to a waste-free future, implementing the reduce-reuse-recycle model. HUL is committed to collecting more plastic packaging than it sells and promoting the use of recycled plastic. By 2025, their goal is to make all plastic packaging reusable, recyclable, or compostable, thereby driving sustainability efforts.

“Last year, we collected and safely disposed of more than 100,000 tonnes of plastic waste across the country with the help of collection partners, that is more plastic than we use in packaging our products. We have set up six material recovery facilities in partnership with UNDP and Xynteo in Mumbai and Aurangabad with support from BMC and AMC. Under our Waste No More programme in partnership with Xynteo, we have rolled out a digital school curriculum focused on the importance of segregation, collection, and safe disposal of waste among school children and communities,” states the spokesperson.

Inclusive Workplace

To reflect the diversity of its consumer base, HUL recently revamped its equity, diversity & inclusion (ED&I) framework to #BELONG. Acting as a visible advocate and ally, HUL leads the industry with progressive and equitable policies that have set new benchmarks in promoting an inclusive culture. These initiatives include:

· Policy to support gender transition. This policy covers the aspects of medical coverage for gender reassignment surgery, hormone replacement therapy and medical leave, in addition to ensuring adequate integration support to the transitioning employee and his/her/their immediate teams

· Medical leave policy that covers same sex partners

· Parental leave policy that covers adoption

· Disability accommodation policy

· Fertility policy: Our medical policy covers claim reimbursement of IVF treatment for two cycles subject to the maximum of Rs 1.5 lakh per cycle

· Flexible leave policy

“Our India proUd network has been launched as a channel of the larger Global Unilever ProUd Network and has the stated objective ‘to educate the HUL community about LGBTQIA+ issues and to create an environment that is supportive of LGBTQIA+ employees, families, friends, and allies,” the spokesman adds.

HUL is partnering with its proUd Network to implement policy changes that better support the LGBTQIA+ community. By developing scalable reference materials, the company aims to align local policies with LGBTQIA+ inclusivity, ensuring equitable terms and conditions for all employees, including couples who cannot legally marry.

Future Goals

HUL follows the Unilever Compass, a comprehensive sustainable business strategy aimed at achieving superior performance and sustainable growth. Talking about the ESG targets the company has set for the upcoming year, HUL spokesperson shares, “We are committed to a deforestation free supply chain. In the financial year 2022-23, 95 per cent of our paper and board in packaging, 82 per cent of our tomatoes and 69 per cent of tea came from sustainable sources. Also, we strive to enhance livelihoods through our Shakti programme.”