This new way of sourcing carbon will be guided by environmental impact assessments and work alongside our industry-leading sustainable sourcing programmes to prevent unintended pressures on ecosystems. Putting carbon diversity at the core of our Clean Future strategy is essential. We will replace non-renewable sources (black carbon) with captured CO2 (purple), plants and biological (green), marine algae (blue) and carbon recovered from waste material like plastic (grey).
Tanya Steele, Chief Executive WWF UK Rewriting the rule bookĪs we pave the way to decarbonise our formulations, we must diversify the carbon sources we use. Unilever's commitment to shift away from fossil fuels towards renewable resources, combined with strong sustainable sourcing, has real potential to make an important contribution to an economy that works with nature, not against it We hope to significantly scale and build from both technologies. In Slovakia, we’re partnering with biotech leader Evonik Industries to develop rhamnolipids, a renewable and biodegradable surfactant which is already used in our Sunlight (Quix) dishwashing liquid in Chile and Vietnam. They have pioneered a cutting-edge method to capture CO2 from their own production processes before it reaches the atmosphere, and use the captured CO2 as a raw material to make their soda ash. That’s why we’ve partnered with Tuticorin Alkali Chemicals (TAC) in southern India and Carbon Clean Solutions (CCSL). In fact, our Clean Future strategy is already supporting industry-leading projects around the world.įor instance, soda ash is a key ingredient in laundry detergents, but it’s currently made using a lot of energy from fossil fuels. This will finance biotechnology research, CO2 utilisation, low carbon chemistry, biodegradable and water-efficient formulations, and reducing the use of virgin plastic.Įssentially, we will use it to create affordable products that deliver the unbeatable clean people expect from our products, combined with a significantly lower environmental impact. We have ringfenced €1 billion for our Clean Future strategy, which is in addition to our new €1 billion Climate & Nature Fund. €1 bn will finance our Clean Future strategy to create products that are kinder to people and the planet Superior, affordable, greener
This is the home we share and we have a responsibility to protect it.” We cannot let ourselves become distracted from the environmental crises that our world – our home – is facing. But that should not be a reason for complacency. “We’ve seen unprecedented demand for our cleaning products in recent months and we are incredibly proud to play our part helping to keep people safe in the fight against Covid-19. We must stop pumping carbon from under the ground when there is ample carbon on and above the ground – if we can learn to utilise it at scale. “As an industry, we must break our dependence on fossil fuels, including as a raw material for our products. “Clean Future is our vision to radically overhaul our business,” says Peter ter Kulve, President of our Home Care division. By moving to renewable or recycled ingredient sources in their formulations, we will unlock novel ways to reduce that carbon footprint. The chemicals used in our cleaning and laundry products currently make up the greatest proportion of their carbon footprint across their lifecycle. Peter ter Kulve, Home Care President A radical overhaul of our business As an industry, we must break our dependence on fossil fuels, including as a raw material in products. Clean Future is our vision to radically overhaul our business.