Food and manufacturing waste

Food loss and waste is a global crisis with one-third of all food produced lost or discarded. As one of the world’s biggest food producers, we want to protect and preserve food – for everyone across our value chain – starting in our own operations.

Unilever Australia is a signatory of the Australian Food Pact which is working with leading food businesses to build a more sustainable, resilient and profitable food system.

Learn more about some of the actions we’re taking to tackle food waste in Australia and New Zealand below, and visit here to read more about the actions we’re taking globally.

Reducing waste in our ice cream factory

Throughout the process of making ice cream, we accumulate ‘leftovers’ of ice cream mix. Our innovative team came up with a way to rescue these perfectly good leftovers by blending it with other ingredients to create an equally delicious flavour. As a result, we save hundreds of tonnes of ice cream from going to waste each year.

Fighting hunger with Foodbank

Since 2011, we have donated over 3 million kilograms of food and groceries to Foodbank. Not only has this helped Foodbank ensure those who are struggling can put a meal on the table and groceries in their cupboard, but it also helps save water from going to waste and unnecessary CO2 emissions.

Redistributing food with Yume

Since 2022, we've also been working with Yume - a social enterprise which has helped us redistribute over 1 million kilograms of surplus products to other businesses and charities.