Unilever invests one billion euros to improve products and packaging

Unilever wants to replace all carbon derived from fossil fuels in the formulas of cleaning and washing products, with renewable or recycled carbon, in global brands such as Omo, Cif and Seventh Generation, among others.
The Clean Future aims to radically change the way some of the world's best-known cleaning and washing products are created, manufactured and packaged. The program aims to incorporate the principles of circular economy both in packaging and in the formulas used for world-renowned brands to reduce their carbon footprint.
For the implementation of Clean Future, Unilever announced global investments of one billion euros.
Chemicals used in Unilever's cleaning and washing products account for the majority of the carbon footprint (46%) throughout their life cycle. Unilever expects that, with this initiative only, it will reduce the carbon footprint of product formulas by up to 20%.
Peter ter Kulve, global president of Unilever's Home Care division, explains that the Clean Future program is the vision of radical restructuring of the company's business. "In recent months, we have seen an unprecedented search for our cleaning products and are very proud to do our part by helping to maintain people's safety in the fight against COVID-19. But that's no reason for condescension. We cannot lose the focus of the environmental crisis facing our world."
The announced investment is intended to fund research in biotechnology, co2 and waste use and low-carbon chemistry to create biodegradable and water-efficient product formulas, and halve the use of virgin plastic by 2025.
To detail the strategy of diversifying the carbon sources used in the formulas, Unilever created Carbon Rainbow, an essential component of the Clean Future program. This is a new approach to diversifying the carbon used in product formulas. Non-renewable sources of carbon (black carbon), such as petroleum, for example, will be replaced by captured CO2 (purple carbon), plants and biological sources (green carbon), marine sources such as algae (blue carbon), and waste (gray carbon).
According to "Carbon Rainbow", carbon extraction will follow environmental impact assessments and will be monitored by Unilever's sustainable extraction programs to avoid unwanted pressures on land use. Peter ter Kulve believes a new bioeconomy is emerging from the ashes of fossil fuels.
"We've heard dozens of times that people want sustainable products more affordable, and that they're as good as conventional ones. With the rapid advances of science and technology, we can deliver this with the promise of new benefits for those who use our products, from ultra-soft ingredients to self-cleaning clothing and surfaces. Diversifying carbon sources is essential for us to grow within the limits of the planet. Our suppliers and innovation partners play a crucial role in this transition. By sharing our "Carbon Rainbow" model, we invoke a transformation in the entire economy about how we use carbon," Kulve concludes.
Commitments made by Unilever:
– Zero the net carbon emissions generated by our products, from manufacturing to gondolas, by 2039;
– Halging the impact of greenhouse gases throughout the life cycle of our products by 2030;
– Zero greenhouse gas emissions from our operations by 2030;
– Make the formulas of our products biodegradable by 2030;
– Achieve a production chain without deforestation by 2023;
– Halding the use of virgin plastic, helping to collect and process more plastic than we sell and ensure that all plastic packaging of our products is reusable, recyclable and compostable, using at least 25% recycled plastic in packaging by 2025.