Unilever reports that its “sustainable living” brands grew 46% faster than the rest of the business and delivered 70% of its turnover growth. This marks the fourth consecutive year of growth for these brands.
Sustainable living brands combine a strong social or environmental purpose with products that contribute to achieving Unilever’s sustainability goals. The company says that over the last four years, these brands have outperformed the average rate of growth at Unilever.
The brands have expanded from 18 in 2016 to 26 currently. Recent entrants include Vaseline, Sunlight, Sunsilk, and Wall’s. The list includes the company’s top six brands: Dove, Lipton, Dirt is Good, Rexona, Hellmann’s, and Knorr. B-Corp certified brands such as Ben and Jerry’s, Seventh Generation, and Pukka Herbs are also on the list.
Brand highlights, according to Unilever:
“Consumers, especially younger ones, are caring more and more about brand purpose and want to see brands reflecting the beliefs of its buyers,” Marketing Week pointed out. Millennials tend to invest in companies targeting social or environmental goals, a Morgan Stanley report last year showed.
In 2010, the company launched the Unilever Sustainable Living Plan, which set targets to decouple Unilever’s growth from its environmental impact while increasing the company’s positive social effects. Unilever says the company is on track to meet around 80% of its commitments, which include improving health and wellbeing for 1 billion people, reducing environmental impact by half, and enhancing livelihoods for millions of employees, suppliers, and retailers.
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