Environmental, Social and Governance
Our sustainability strategy is fully integrated into our business strategy. It enables us to consistently make progress on our sustainability agenda while delivering better performance.
Our focus areas in sustainability
We believe that embedding sustainability across our value chain is non-negotiable. Therefore, going forward we will draw greater focus on climate, nature, plastics, and livelihoods which are important sustainability priorities relevant for our business and communities around us.
Climate
Achieve net-zero emissions.
Nature
Nurture resilient and regenerative natural and agricultural ecosystems.
Plastics
Tackle plastic pollution through reduction, circulation, and collaboration.
Livelihoods
Ensure decent livelihoods for people in our value chain.
We remain fully committed to the fundamental tenets of operating as a responsible business: protecting human rights, advancing equity, diversity & inclusion, doing business with integrity and ensuring the safety of people.
Top ESG-rated FMCG company in India
75
#1 in Personal Products Sector in India and among the top 10% companies globally
(As per S&P Global’s Sustainability Yearbook 2024)
AA
Our rating has been upgraded from 'A' to ‘AA'
A/A-
Leadership across all 3 categories i.e. Climate, Water, and Forest
83
Ranked #1 in India in LSEG ESG ratings in the Personal & Household Products Sector
63
Our ESG Score has been classified as a 'Strong' score
21.4
#11 globally in
Household
Products Category
(Medium Risk)
Environmental, Social and Governance initiatives at Hindustan Unilever
In our journey towards doing well by doing good, we have ensured that our goals and actions are aligned with the nation’s development agenda and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Click on the tabs below and scroll to know more about our Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) initiatives.
Sustainable operations
Throughout our factory operations spread across India, we are implementing sustainable practices that are helping us transition towards green energy, reduce emissions, water consumption and waste.
98%
reduction in scope 1 & 2 emissions
(Kg/tonne of production)
58%
reduction in total waste generated
(Kg/tonne of production)
45%
reduction in total energy consumption
(GJ/tonne of production)
47%
reduction in total water consumption
(Cubic metre/tonne of production)
(Against 2008 baseline)
Reducing emissions in
our value chain
We continue to work with our business partners and suppliers to incorporate environment-friendly innovations and initiatives in our value chain.
Reducing greenhouse gas emissions from refrigeration
Collaborating for a Clean Future
Introducing Electric Vehicles (EVs) in our distribution network
Hindustan Unilever Foundation(HUF)
Through the Hindustan Unilever Foundation (HUF), we work towards creating water conservation potential across India, with a special focus on drought susceptible regions.
We also work to ensure optimal use of water in agriculture, a sector that consumes over 80% of our fresh water resources. We do this by catalysing solutions to improve water security through a partnership approach involving the government, communities, experts, and mission-based organisations.
Did you know?
3.2+ trillion liters of water potential created by HUF can meet the drinking water needs of the total population of India for nearly 2 years.
Sustainable packaging
We continue to explore new ways of sustainably packaging our products through our ‘Less, Better, No’ plastic framework.
Over the years, we have been reducing the use of virgin plastic and so far, many
of our
brands such as Vim, Surf excel, Vaseline and more use recycled plastic in packaging.
In the calendar year 2023, 74% of our plastic packaging was recyclable or recycle-ready.
We are committed to fulfilling our plastic waste management EPR obligation as mandated
in the EPR
framework by the Government.
Did you know?
We are pioneers in using recycled plastic in packaging (including flexibles) for FMCG products. Most recently, we became the first to incorporate recycled plastic in the foods and refreshment segment for Kissan Squash.
Decentralised waste management eco-system
We have set up sustainable end-to-end waste management projects that enable waste collection, segregation, processing, and recycling of community and household waste.
The projects have been set up in partnership with the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), State Bank of India Foundation, Aurangabad Municipal Corporation (AMC), United Nations Development Program (UNDP) and Xynteo. The centres streamline the waste ecosystem and enhance the livelihoods of waste workers.
7 centres
operational in Mumbai and Aurangabad
5,000 metric tonnes
of waste recycled collectively, every year across our waste management centres
In partnership with
Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation
SBI Foundation
Aurangabad Municipal Corporation
United Nations Development Programme
Xynteo
Driving behaviour change for communities
Waste segregation at source is the first and most effective step for effective waste management. Our Start A Little Good programme encourages dry, wet and hazardous waste segregation through door-to-door interventions. College students enrol to become ambassadors of change and support with demonstrations that explain how a simple act of segregating waste can create a big impact collectively.
2 lakh+
Citizens reached in Mumbai and Aurangabad
Driving behaviour change among children
The children of today are change makers of tomorrow. To instil the habit of waste
segregation and recycling at a young age, we developed the Waste No More
Curriculum in partnership with Xynteo.
We work with the state’s Education
Department by leveraging government E-learning platforms such as Diksha in
Maharashtra, Rajasthan and Haryana for dissemination of the curriculum content.
Improving the lives of waste workers
Waste workers are the backbone of the waste management systems. Through Project Utthaan, in partnership with UNDP, we are enabling access to government social protection schemes covering food, health, safety, security and financial inclusion for Safai Saathis.
5,000+
Safai Saathis and their families linked to government schemes so far
Regenerative agriculture
HUL has partnered with the Tea Research Association (TRA) Tocklai, one of the oldest and largest tea research associations globally.
The partnership aims to address the challenges posed by climate change in the tea industry and improve its resilience and sustainability by promoting regenerative agricultural practices. Currently, the scope of the project aims to cover 19 tea estates/factories and 19 small tea growers covering all the major tea growing regions of Assam, West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Karnataka.
HUL along with TRA will conduct a detailed Lifecycle Analysis for Indian tea sector and work on strategies that can help reduce carbon impact across the value chain.
Sustainable sourcing
We are buyers of large quantities of raw materials and packaging materials for our brands, and we are consistently striving to source sustainably.
81%
tomatoes sourced sustainably.
79%
tea procured from sustainable sources.
48%
of our 12 key agricultural crops sourced sustainably.
94%
sustainable sourcing of paper and board.
(For Calendar Year 2023)
Centre for Sustainability Leadership
HUL has partnered with the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry
(FICCI) to launch the Centre for Sustainability Leadership.
Our ambition is
to help accelerate the Indian corporate sector’s climate action by
institutionalising sustainability leadership across FICCI members, small & medium
enterprises and micro small & medium enterprises.
Stories of impact and empowerment
This is the first time we learned about crop water budgeting. I have earned 2 lakhs from selling vegetable saplings through HI-Tech nursery.
Dabhi Ramilaben, HUF beneficiary
Gujarat
I have convinced 3,200 farmers to start organic farming practices. I can see a pathway to connect communities towards a sustainable livelihood.
Priya Rakhunde, HUF beneficiary
Maharashtra
I feel proud to be known as a successful women farmer. To all women, I would stress the importance of grit and patience to bring change in their families and communities.
Priya Sharma, HUF beneficiary
Uttar Pradesh
By adopting new techniques, I have increased my yield from 2 to 6 quintals. When I cultivate wheat in the Rabi season, I earn additional income.
Dashrath Yadav, HUF beneficiary
Madhya Pradesh
With guidance from HUL, UNDP and the Utthaan team, I am happy we are protected with government insurance and have access to health services in case of an accident, which is a very common occurrence in our line of work.
Jahanara Begum,Safai Saathi, Mumbai
Start A Little Good campaign made people more conscious of the need to act and make a difference by segregating household waste.
Ragini Mundra, Resident, Mumbai
Engaging with waste management experts working on Start A Little Good campaign, encouraged me to advocate for positive action on waste segregation within my community.
Afra Fernandes, Student Ambassador, Mumbai
My job allows me to teach others about the importance of proper waste segregation.
I can work fearlessly now as I am insured. I also got my PAN card and a bank account which allows me to save some of my earnings for my family.
Safai Saathi, Mumbai
