Consumer goods company Unilever has announced that it is now sending zero non-hazardous waste to landfill across more than 600 sites, in 70 countries, including factories, warehouses, distribution centres and offices.
In January 2015 Unilever said that over 240 factories had achieved zero waste status, and by replicating this model in other parts of the business, it says that nearly 400 additional sites have now eliminated waste to landfill.
Unilever’s zero waste model was based on the four ‘R’ approach of reducing, reusing, recovering or recycling, encouraging its employees to see waste as a resource with alternate uses – from converting factory waste to building materials, to composting food waste from staff cafeterias.
Examples of waste-reducing initiatives taken up at Unilever sites across the world include a programme at Unilever Mashreq in Egypt empowering disabled employees to earn extra income by recycling waste material from production lines and a vermin-composting process introduced in South Asia to turn canteen and manufacturing waste into compost for organic vegetable growth.
The company says that its ultimate aim is to achieve zero waste across the value chain and to embrace circular models. So far, the company says that its efforts to reduce its waste have contributed to cost-benefits of €200 million and created hundreds of jobs.
Unilever has also announced a new collaboration with the value chain-platform 2degrees, which helps make businesses more sustainable. The new collaboration programme will go live in summer 2016.
Lots more to be done to inspire wide-scale movement
Commenting on Unilever reaching the landmark figure, Pier Luigi Sigismondi, Chief Supply Chain Officer, said: “While I am proud of what our employees and partners have achieved across our manufacturing operations and the wider business, there is a lot more to be done to inspire a wide-scale movement.
“It is time to accelerate efforts to move towards a zero waste world and our new collaboration with 2degrees will allow us to share lessons and experiences, and to encourage other businesses and industries to take up the zero waste challenge. By building a network of partners and working together, we can eliminate waste on an unprecedented scale across the globe.”
Martin Chilcott, Founder and CEO, 2degrees, said: “Unilever is continuing to demonstrate the leadership necessary to tackle the biggest resource efficiency and sustainability challenges that businesses face. To achieve bold goals, such as zero waste in the value chain, we need equally bold action and collaboration at scale.”
Sustainable Living Plan
Unilever’s Sustainable Living Plan (USLP) states that its ambition is to double the size of the business, which is already generating sales of €53.3 billion per year with over 400 brands and 172,000 employees in over 190 countries, while reducing its environmental impact. In order to do so the business claims it will commit to ‘decoupling growth from environmental impact’.
More information about USLP can be found at Unilever’s website.
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