AUSTRALIA – Unilever Australasia, an Australian and New Zealand subsidiary company of British FMCG company Unilever, has received B-Corporation certification marking a “tremendous milestone” in sustainability across the business.
B Corp certification is owned by B Lab and is only awarded to companies that demonstrate verifiable positive impact through policies and practices across five areas – governance, workers, communities, customers, and the environment.
B lab explained that the certification process examines a company’s entire operations and requires the business to make a legal commitment by changing its corporate governance approach to be accountable to all stakeholders.
Certified businesses must also exhibit transparency by allowing information about their performance measured against B Lab’s standards to be publicly available on their B Corp profile on B Lab’s website.
Nicky Sparshott, CEO of Unilever Australasia noted that the certification makes the business stronger, attracting talented jobseekers that are seeking out meaningful work, as well as partnering with other organizations that prioritize ESG and appeal to increasing educated, and discerning consumers.
Unilever ANZ, which has 900 employees in the region, sources from more than 1800 suppliers, and has three factories that in total produce 70 percent of what it sells locally, has had its facilities run on 100 percent renewable electricity since 2020.
Nicky Sparshott stated: “On any given day, millions of Aussie and Kiwi households use our products – we have both a responsibility and an opportunity to use our scale as a force for good. “
We’re thrilled to achieve B Corp Certification, as both a validation of the actions we’ve implemented across Australia and New Zealand and a motivator to strive even further.”
Sparshott added that the efforts by Unilever ANZ were done under the company’s global sustainable business strategy called The Compass.
The strategy includes fostering a diverse and inclusive workforce with gender parity across management; pioneering flexible work with a four-day work week trial in New Zealand; switching to 100% renewable electricity to power its operations; reimagining packaging to reduce plastic waste.
The Compass also extends to collaborating with farmers on Regenerative Agricultural Principles; and driving strong employee engagement around Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG).
Unilever also said it released its Future Food strategy in late 2020, with commitments to a healthier and more sustainable global food system.
CEO of B Lab Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand, Andrew Davies, commented that Unilever ANZ’s certification sends a powerful signal which will further advance change in the consumer goods sector and our broader global economic system.
He also called on Unilever ANZ to continue in improvements to maintain the certification over time since it comes with a significant burden of greater transparency.
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