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.
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.
#1 in Personal Products Sector in India and among the top 10% companies globally
(As per S&P Global’s Sustainability Yearbook 2024)
Our rating has been upgraded from 'A' to ‘AA'
Leadership across all 3 categories i.e. Climate, Water, and Forest
Ranked #1 in India in LSEG ESG ratings in the Personal & Household Products Sector
Our ESG Score has been classified as a 'Strong' score
#11 globally in
Household
Products Category
(Medium Risk)
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.
Suvidha is a first-of-its-kind community hygiene centre which addresses the water, hygiene and sanitation needs of low-income urban households. The centres provide people with access to clean water, sanitation and laundry facilities.
Since 2016, we have established 16 self-sustainable Suvidha centres in Mumbai in partnership with the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), out of which 15 are in partnership with HSBC India. We also have a partnership with JSW Foundation to build 10 more Suvidha centres. Solar powered and equipped with grey water treatment, these Suvidha centres adopt the principles of circular economy thereby building community resilience against climate change and water scarcity.
people have access to Suvidha
litres of water saved cumulatively through water saving technologies
reduction in incidence of illness like UTIs and Diarrhoea
(Calculations based on 16 Suvidha centres built till date. As per the impact assessment conducted by Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu India LLP)
The Suvidha model has been recognised by the World Economic Forum (WEF) as an example of a ‘Public-Private’ collaboration that can improve the health of cities.
A public-private partnership
Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation
Hindustan Unilever Limited
HSBC India
JSW Foundation
women entrepreneurs in our Shakti network
households reached driving social change at a grassroot level
Project Shakti aims to financially empower and provide livelihood opportunities to women whom we call, Shakti Ammas. Since 2001, Shakti has empowered thousands of women in rural India.
Training imparted through the programme has helped Shakti Ammas become
self-confident, improve self-esteem, and foster an entrepreneurial
mindset.
The Shakti Ammas in our network are also trained to volunteer as
nutrition and hygiene ambassadors that benefit communities.
Prabhat is our community development initiative that aims to create sustainable and inclusive communities around our factory operations.
Prabhat focusses on key pillars that include creating livelihoods, improving health and nutrition, facilitating community waste management and water conservation. Through Prabhat, we are helping create a more inclusive society and environment-positive communities.
lives across 21 states and 2 Union Territories reached till date.
people benefited from skill development initiatives.
people secured employment.
farmers benefited through farm-based value chain initiatives.
women and children benefitted from nutrition programmes.
of waste collected under Prabhat’s waste management programme.
youth covered in the scale-up phase
youth and women to be trained in frontline sales roles
youth retailers to be supported through business formalisation and credit linkage services
To create livelihood opportunities for youth, we piloted skilling and entrepreneurship programs with the National Institute of Entrepreneurship and Small Business Development (NIESBUD). Encouraged by the promising results of the pilots, we expanded our partnership in the scale-up phase.
We are also working with LabourNet Livelihood Foundation, American India Foundation, Haqdarshak Empowerment Solutions, Sarthak Educational Trust and Cheshire Disability Trust to scale up SAFAL.
The scale of our business and brands put us in a unique position to be a force for good.
We are continuously working to improve our products to help people transition towards healthier diets, by offering products that carry positive nutrition such as products containing impactful amounts of millets, vegetables, fruits, proteins, fibre, unsaturated fatty acids, or micronutrients such as vitamins, zinc, iron, and iodine. We are also setting thresholds to limit nutrients such as calories, sugars, sodium and saturated fat.
In 2023, 92% of our Nutrition and Ice Cream portfolio met
Unilever’s Science-based
Nutrition Criteria (USNC).
India battles the twin problem of under and over nutrition.
Through Swasthya Ki Baat, we are creating awareness on diet diversity,
and iron and protein deficiency for mothers. The program has been rolled out in two
districts of West Bengal and Bihar.
In partnership with ‘Power of Nutrition’
an
independent charitable foundation and innovative platform, we are scaling up the
programme to reach mothers in rural Uttar Pradesh and Gujarat.
mothers reached
Our Swasthya Curriculum teaches children in classes 1-5 about the importance of adopting four key habits:
Eating nutrition-rich meals, washing hands with soap, drinking safe water and using
clean toilets over a 24-day period.
We also have a digital curriculum to
support
online learning.
children reached since 2018
people reached through Lifebuoy’s Handwashing initiatives
Our purpose-driven brand Lifebuoy is on a mission to save lives by creating awareness about the importance of handwashing with soap at key times during the day.
We are also on a mission to encourage people to sustain good handwashing
behaviour.
Recently, we collaborated with Imagimake, a toy design company,
to launch the ‘H’ for Handwashing Games for children. Several governments endorsed
the initiative in state-run schools in Delhi, Punjab, and Haryana.
Through the Dove Self-Esteem programme, we are ensuring that the next generation grows up to enjoy a positive relationship with the way they look.
In partnership with UNICEF, we are contributing to the Government of India’s Samagrha Shiksha Abhiyan. Our partnership supports teachers with training on self-esteem and body confidence through educational materials specially curated for this purpose.
people reached through the Dove Self-esteem programme
Glow & Lovely Careers is a programme designed to help women create an identity for themselves by providing them with career guidance, skill-based courses, and information on job opportunities.
Through the Glow & Lovely Careers website, we offer online skill-based courses and internship opportunities. In 2023, we partnered with Times Jobs, to help women get access to job opportunities. Through the Sheroes app, Glow & Lovely Careers also enables a network for women to learn from one another and interact with experts for guidance.
users registered on Glow & Lovely Careers site
course enrolments facilitated
users benefited from career guidance
Kwality Wall’s has provided entrepreneurship opportunities to people including Persons with Disabilities (PwDs) helping them become self-sufficient micro-entrepreneurs who sell ice cream on the move.
Many young people trained under this initiative have learnt skills such as sales, customer service and problem solving that have helped them step into the job market.
~12,600 people and 250 PwDs are part of the I am Wall’s initiative in India.
TRANSFORM is an initiative to drive collective action from corporates, donors, investors, and academia.
It was established in 2015 by Unilever, the UK’s Foreign
Commonwealth
and Development Office, and E&Y.
The initiative works to combine grant
funding, business insight and research to test and scale new solutions, innovations
and business models that can enhance livelihoods, improve health, and promote a
circular economy.
16 enterprises funded in India, impacting lives of over 3 million people
We relied on my husband’s income which wasn’t enough for our family.
Thanks to the tailoring course offered at Prabhat’s livelihood centres, I can earn by working from the comfort of my home. I'm grateful to Prabhat for helping me contribute to my family's finances.
Yasmin Roja, Prabhat beneficiary, Pondicherry
In the slum, we don’t have a toilet at home, so we use public toilets.
Before Suvidha, I didn’t let my grandchildren eat dinner properly – what if it makes them want to go to the bathroom in the middle of the night? Now I can sleep peacefully at night knowing they will be safe.
Najma, Suvidha Centre user, Mumbai
Suvidha has not only given us good quality sanitation facilities, it has also empowered me with employment.
I proudly work at the centre near my home and have started earning a livelihood.
Priya, Suvidha Centre staff, Mumbai
मैं देवी शरण क्वालिटी वॉल्स वेंडर कंपनी से 20 साल से अधिक समय से जुड़ा हुआ हूं।
मैं शारीरिक रूप से विकलांग हूं, लेकिन कंपनी के समर्थन से, मैं आजीविका कमाने के लिए सशक्त हूं।
Devisharan, I am Wall’s entrepreneur, New Delhi
With guidance from Prabhat’s Nutrition Buddy, I learned how to grow various fruits, vegetables, and herbs in my backyard.
This has not only reduced my grocery bills but also enhanced my overall nutrition by providing fresh, organic produce.
Anshika, Prabhat beneficiary, Sumerpur
Prabhat’s efforts towards water conservation, agricultural promotion, and WASH are truly commendable.
This program has united our community to address critical issues surrounding water.
Manoj Sahu, Sarpanch, Gram Panchayat, Bangaon
We continue to roll out environmentally friendly freezer cabinets that use Hydrocarbon (HC) refrigerants instead of Hydrofluorocarbons refrigerants across India.
Freezers with HC technology in our fleet
The event brought together high ranked government officials,
top industry players,
sustainability think tanks, global management consultancies and many others. Eighteen of our key
partners signed the ‘Climate Pledge.’
During the event we also announced the successful
scale up of low greenhouse gas emitting soda ash, a key ingredient for our laundry brands, in
partnership with
Tuticorin Alkali Chemicals and Fertilizers Limited.
Today, our last mile network is powered by over 100 EVs. We have a long, long way to go. But our journey so far motivates us, empowering us to navigate the uncharted terrain confidently. We will also continue to harness and explore Bio CNG, Hydrogen, and other green energy options as a fuel for our distribution network.