Unilever to eliminate fossil fuels in cleaning products by 2030

Unilever expects to reduce carbon footprint of product formulations by up to 20 per cent.

Unilever has announced it will source 100 per cent of the carbon derived from fossil fuels in its cleaning and laundry product formulations with renewable or recycled carbon.

The move is set to transform the sustainability of global cleaning and laundry brands including Omo (Persil), Sunlight, Cif and Domestos.

This new ambition is a core component of Unilever’s ‘Clean Future’, an innovation programme designed by the company’s home care division to change the way that some cleaning and laundry products are created, manufactured, and packaged.

According to the manufacturer, most cleaning and laundry products available today contain chemicals made from fossil fuel feedstocks, a non-renewable source of carbon.

Unilever’s move to renewable or recycled sources of carbon for these chemicals is a deliberate shift away from the fossil fuel economy.

The first initiative of its scale, Clean Future also forms part of Unilever’s pledge of net zero emissions from its products by 2039.

The chemicals used in Unilever’s cleaning and laundry products make up the greatest proportion of its carbon footprint (46 per cent) across their lifecycle.

Therefore, by transitioning away from fossil fuel-derived chemicals in product formulations, the company will unlock novel ways of reducing the carbon footprint of some of the world’s biggest cleaning and laundry brands.

Unilever expects this initiative to reduce the carbon footprint of the product formulations by up to 20 per cent.

Peter ter Kulve, Unilever’s president of home care, explains: “Clean Future is our vision to radically overhaul our business. As an industry, we must break our dependence on fossil fuels, including as a raw material for our products. 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.

“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. But that should not be a reason for complacency. We cannot let ourselves become distracted from the environmental crises that our world – our home – is facing. Pollution. Destruction of natural habitats. The climate emergency. This is the home we share, and we have a responsibility to protect it.”

Unilever is ring-fencing €1 billion for Clean Future to finance biotechnology research, CO2 and waste utilisation, and low carbon chemistry – which will drive the transition away from fossil fuel derived chemicals.

This investment will also be used to create biodegradable and water-efficient product formulations, to halve the use of virgin plastic by 2025, and support the development of brand communications that make these technologies appealing to consumers.

“We’ve heard time and time again that people want more affordable sustainable products that are just as good as conventional ones. Rapid developments in science and technology are allowing us to do this, with the promise of exciting new benefits for the people who use our products, from ultra-mild cleaning ingredients to self-cleaning clothes and surfaces.

“Diversifying sources of carbon is essential to grow within the limits of our planet. Our suppliers and innovation partners play a critical role through this transition. By sharing our Carbon Rainbow model, we are calling on an economy-wide transformation in how we all use carbon.”

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