Unilever ANZ has announced it is now B Corporation (B Corp) certified, joining 460 other businesses in the region and more than 5400 globally.
Actions by Unilever ANZ’s global sustainable business strategy, The Compass, were integral in achieving certification.
These actions include 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 per cent renewable electricity to power its operations; reimagining packaging to reduce plastic waste; collaborating with farmers on regenerative agricultural principles; and driving strong employee engagement around environmental, social, and governance (ESG).
Nicky Sparshott, CEO of Unilever ANZ, said the certification is a tremendous milestone for a company the size and scale of Unilever.
“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.”
Andrew Davies, CEO of B Lab Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand, said the certification sends a powerful signal that will further advance change in the consumer goods sector, and our broader global economic system.
“We need more businesses of all sizes to step up and be accountable, and B Corp Certification is one powerful way to do that. It comes with a significant burden of greater transparency and requires continuous improvement to maintain the Certification over time. It’s a credit to the team at Unilever ANZ that they have been willing and able to achieve this with such a large, complex business.”
To become certified, companies must demonstrate verifiable positive impact through policies and practices across five areas – governance, workers, communities, customers, and the environment.
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