Consumer goods company Unilever has announced that it has achieved zero waste to landfill.

According to Unilever, all of its global factories (around 240 in 67 countries) have diverted all non-hazardous waste from landfill, avoiding €200 million in disposal costs (£150 million).

The most recent data for the group states that more than 500,000 tonnes of non-hazardous waste were disposed of in 2013, accounting for around 2.72 kilogrammes of waste per tonne (kg/tonne) of product, with hazardous waste coming in at 0.1kg/tonne.

Resource has asked Unilever for up-to-date information on the exact tonnages of waste produced, and their end destinations (including how much was incinerated), but has not yet received a response.

Unilever stated that the diversion achievement marks a ‘global first for delivering zero waste on this scale’.

The milestone has reportedly been reached by making waste reduction a ‘number one priority’, utilising the waste hierarchy, and ‘finding innovative solutions for any remaining waste’. For example, it states that in Côte D’Ivoire, waste has been turned into ‘low-cost building materials’; in India, organic waste is sent for composting; and in China, waste from Hefei, Unilever’s largest factory in Asia, is being used in the manufacture of bricks and paving.

Unilever added that the zero-waste-to-landfill target for 2015, which formed part of its Sustainable Living Plan, has also helped to create ‘hundreds of jobs’. In Egypt, for example, the Unilever team has launched a programme that allows disabled employees to earn extra income by recycling waste material from Unilever’s production lines.

‘Working towards a zero waste value chain’

Pier Luigi Sigismondi, Unilever Chief Supply Chain Officer, commented: “Reaching this landmark is the result of a huge mind-set shift throughout our organisation and a great example of Unilever driving sustainable business growth. Thousands of employees – our ‘zero-makers’ – from across the business have developed some really innovative solutions to eliminate waste. I am incredibly proud of what we and our partners have achieved.”

The consumer goods giant has increasingly been focusing on sustainability and reducing its environmental impact, and last year commissioned a series on TV adverts to highlight the problem of food waste, sponsored the new digital platform ‘Collectively’, which seeks to make ‘sustainable living the new normal’ and ‘scale up sustainable innovation and inspire action’, and launched new plastic packaging technology that can reportedly reduce plastic content by 15 per cent.

The company has stated that it will now focus its efforts on creating zero waste through its supply chain.

Sigismondi added: “We cannot stop here. Our focus now is on becoming a zero waste company and working towards a zero waste value chain by encouraging our suppliers and customers to join us on this mission. We are also committed to developing an open-source approach and sharing our ‘zero waste framework’ and experience with other organisations to drive global change and create a more sustainable future.”

Find out more about Unilever’s Sustainable Living Plan.