Gold for Unilever

The 29th Annual Gold Medal for International Corporate Achievement in Sustainable Development is to be awarded to Unilever.

The company is being recognised for its commitment to advancing environmental sustainability through its strategic business initiative, the Unilever Sustainable Living Plan, for products, governance structure, supply chain and consumers.

Unilever’s CEO Paul Polman will accept the Gold Medal Award from the World Environment Center (WEC) at a ceremony in Washington DC next May.

"We’re 18 months into the plan and we’ve already achieved much, but it will all be for nothing if we can’t persuade others – consumers, NGOs, governments, businesses – to each take small actions individually to make a big difference collectively and to work in partnership to help solve some of the big issues the planet faces,” he said.

The Unilever Sustainable Living Plan addresses environmental improvements not only in Unilever’s direct operations but with its suppliers, distributors and also in how consumers use its brands. Half of the corporation’s raw materials come from either farms or forests, and the company has committed to the sustainable sourcing of 100% of its agricultural raw materials within eight years. In addition, the initiative commits to helping more than a billion people take action to improve their health and well being, and finally, it promises to cut the environmental footprint of Unilever products in half while doubling the size of its business.