Unilever Says Manufacturers Need To Embrace Sustainability

Unilever launched its Sustainable Living Plan sustainability initiative in 2010 to cut by 50 percent its environmental footprint, help one billion people improve their livelihoods, and source all agricultural inputs from sustainable sources, according to Jan Zijderveld, president of Unilever's Western Europe operations. Zijderveld also said that governments have failed to handle properly the world's sustainability- and environment-related problems. Moreover, companies like Unilever have to share the responsibility in promoting sustainability and develop a new business model that takes the environment into consideration. At present, Unilever has achieved encouraging results in raw material and manufacturing; however, the company finds that changing consumer behavior is the most difficult part.