Biodiversity

Unilever's impact

The UN Convention on Biological Diversity – which aims to preserve biodiversity – has been signed by over 160 countries.

Human activity can reduce biodiversity through, for example, intensive agriculture, destructive fishing practices or over-exploitation of natural resources such as forests and water.

This is an issue for Unilever. Agriculture provides more than two-thirds of the raw materials for our branded goods. We are among the world's largest users of agricultural raw materials such as tea, vegetables and vegetable oils. We are one of the world's largest buyers of fish for our overseas frozen fish business. Water is needed by those who grow our raw materials and is essential in the manufacture of our products. Consumers need water to use our products. Growing our business – while conserving biodiversity – is a substantial challenge.

Action being taken

Our factories use environmental management systems and set targets to reduce emissions and wastes, which helps to protect biodiversity. For example, many factories in dry areas, such as parts of India and Brazil, do not discharge any water to watercourses, helping to protect the balance of local ecosystems by ensuring that groundwater levels are maintained.

Protecting biodiversity is central to our sustainability initiatives in agriculture and water. 

Agriculture

Sustainable agriculture is ultimately about sustainable use of biological resources. One of four principles in Unilever's sustainable agriculture program is: "Ensuring any adverse effects on… biodiversity from agricultural activities are minimised and positive contributions are made where possible". Biodiversity is one of the 10 indicators used to manage our programs covering our key crops. 

In 2003, we developed a biodiversity action plan (BAP) for the Brooke Bond Mufindi Tea Estate in the Udzungwa mountains in Tanzania. This was done as a pilot study and we are now developing BAPs for other Unilever sites. Following the success of this pilot study we developed BAPs for other Unilever sites in Australia, Kenya, India, Ghana and the UK.

Water

Our water sustainability initiative considers biodiversity as a critically important factor in the management of water resources. In November 2001, we published a set of SWIM principles to help Unilever companies develop partnerships to protect water resources. Protecting biodiversity is at the core of the principles, which are based on an integrated approach to water management that balances competing demands for water with environmental protection.