Two HUL representatives smiling and interacting with an elderly man sitting on a sofa

Principle 4

Businesses Should Respect The Interests Of And Be Responsive To All Its Stakeholders

Our structured stakeholder engagement approach enables us to translate stakeholder expectations into actionable priorities across our business. We deploy targeted programmes across our value chain and communities to address material ESG issues, ensuring alignment with broader societal and environmental priorities.

Our approach is supported by defined governance mechanisms, transparent disclosures, and periodic feedback loops that strengthen accountability and responsiveness. Through sustained engagement, collaborative partnerships, and outcome-driven interventions, We reinforce stakeholder trust while aligning our sustainability priorities with long-term business objectives.

Message from Our Leadership

We view our stakeholders as strategic partners in shaping our vision for the future. Their insights and ongoing engagement enable us to respond quickly to emerging needs, drive meaningful innovation and stay aligned with evolving societal priorities. By nurturing trust-based, longterm relationships, we enhance our capacity to build a resilient and future-ready organisation.

Vandana SuriExecutive Director, Home Care

6 categories of Key stakeholders identified.
24 Suvidha Centres across Mumbai.
More than 12 million Beneficiaries of Prabhat.
84% of beneficiaries covered under safal from vulnerable and marginalized group.

ESSENTIAL INDICATORS

Our strategy and business model are centred around prioritizing our stakeholders. By staying informed about their evolving needs, we can make strategic and well-informed decisions. Hence, we have established a robust process for identifying stakeholders and engaging with them to strengthen our partnerships. The six key stakeholder groups critical to our success are consumers, customers (including retailers), suppliers & business partners, planet & society (including citizens, NGOs, governments), shareholders and employees. We conduct regular stakeholder reviews to assess and address the business's evolving interests, concerns, and expectations. Details of such reviews can be found in the stakeholder engagement section of the Report.

List of key stakeholders identified by HUL, whether they are a vulnerable or marginalized group, channels of communication, frequency of engagement, and purpose and scope of engagement.
S. No.	Stakeholder group	Whether identified as vulnerable and marginalised group (yes/no) *	Channels of communication (e-mail, SMS, newspaper, pamphlets, advertisement, community meetings, notice board, website), other	Frequency of engagement (annually/half yearly/ quarterly/others – please specify)	Purpose and scope of engagement including key topics and concerns raised during such engagement
1	Consumers	No	Phone, e-mail, social media channel, brands website, consumer surveys and digital voice of consumers	Ongoing	Product quality and safety, information on products, fair and competitive pricing, complaints, queries, feedback, praise, and suggestions
2	Suppliers and business partners	No	Phone, e-mail, Convercent helpline, supplier meeting, audit, survey, and evaluation	Ongoing	New business opportunities, supplier transparency, adherence to our RPP and Business Partner Code, ESG, value chain efficiency, payments, and purchase prices
3	Our people	No	Surveys, townhalls, workshops, training, induction programmes, grievance handling process, and performance appraisal	Ongoing	Career development, diversity and equal opportunity, health and safety, skill upgradation, learning and development, organisational culture/ workplace, and grievances
4	Shareholders	No	Phone, e-mail, annual report, results announcements, microsite on performance highlights, media releases, Capital Markets Day, Annual General Meeting (AGM) and website	Ongoing, quarterly	AGMs allow shareholders to communicate directly with the Board of Directors and the Management Committee. Capital markets day and quarterly earnings calls allow investors to engage with the Company's management on business strategy and performance. We have dedicated e-mail IDs through which our Investor Service Department engages with shareholders to resolve their queries and grievances
5	Planet and society	No	Field visits, CSR projects and engagements, Sustainability Forums, brand activations and campaign, community needs assessment, and website	Ongoing	Emissions reduction, regenerative agriculture and water stewardship, plastics footprint reduction and recycled plastics, livelihoods of farmers and value chain; health and hygiene, skill development, education, social advancement, and rural development projects
6	Customers	No	Phone, e-mail, social media channels, brand pages, and the digital voice of consumers	Ongoing	Product quality and safety, adequate information on products, timely delivery, service level, training on technology and process capabilities

LEADERSHIP INDICATORS

We engage with the vulnerable/marginalised stakeholder groups in our local communities through different CSR programs with the aim to address issues, challenges faced by these various stakeholder. The programs encompass holistic community development, institution-building, and sustainability-related initiatives.

Few instances to address the concerns of vulnerable/ marginalised groups through various initiatives are listed below:

Prabhat

Through Prabhat we engage with several groups of marginalised and vulnerable community members. In communities, small and marginal farmers brought forth issues related to water security, water governance, and inadequate WASH facilities. We facilitated the formation of Paani Panchayats for community engagement and ownership of local water management. For women adolescent girls and children under 5, we engage with them through individual and group contact addressing critical issues on nutrition, health and well-being.

SAFAL

Focuses on economically vulnerable urban and semi-urban youth by providing industry-relevant training, placement support, and mentoring for frontline sales and retail roles through Sales Pro Academy centres, while PwD Livelihood Centre in Mysuru deliver customised skilling and placement facilitation to promote inclusive workforce participation. Didi Ki Dukaan initiative under SAFAL supports women and nano-entrepreneurs in rural and underserved communities enabling first generation women entrepreneurs with training, business support, access to supply chains, and finance. These interventions are delivered in partnership with government bodies, NGOs, and community organisations to help build India's more skilled and resilient workforce by focusing on marginalised groups and promoting inclusive growth.

Suvidha

Access to clean water and sanitation remains a critical challenge, particularly for low income urban communities living in dense settlements. HUL's Suvidha Centres provide affordable access to safe sanitation services, including clean toilets, purified drinking water, showers, and laundry facilities in informal settlements in Mumbai. Designed to be inclusive, the centres offer accessible, hygienic, and odour-free facilities for women, children, and persons with disabilities, with enhanced safety features such as 24x7 security and CCTV surveillance. Operated by local community members, HUL has established 24 Suvidha Centres to date in partnership with the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation.

Principle 4

Message from Our LeadershipMessage fromOur Leadership

ESSENTIAL INDICATORS

LEADERSHIP INDICATORS

Message from Our Leadership