In alignment with the global compass commitments, Unilever Bangladesh, one of the country's oldest and largest fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) companies have pursued some important behaviour changes through its purposeful brands, with sustainability integrated into almost all aspects of its business.
Unilever released its 2021 Sustainability Report on Saturday, revealing that the company had invested over Tk43 crore covering 10 different SDG agendas while impacting millions through its sustainability initiatives.
An event has been organized in Dhaka on the occasion of unveiling the sustainability report titled “Partnering Bangladesh” demonstrating the company's work and impact on the health, environment and society.
Industries Minister Nurul Majid Mahmud Humayun, British High Commissioner to Bangladesh Robert Chatterton Dickson and Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director of Unilever Bangladesh Zaved Akhtar were present along with its diversified partner at the event.
According to the FMCG, in its relentless pursuit to build a sustainable future, it built multi-stakeholder models to bring in diversified partners such as Friendship, UNDP, Bhumijo, Brac, Plan International Bangladesh as well as the government of Bangladesh, who helped it to achieve its social commitments throughout 2021.
As per the report, Unilever collaborated with the largest municipal-backed plastic waste collection project in Bangladesh, supported communities fighting Covid-19, and improved the quality of life of 10% of Bangladeshis by increasing the disposable income of the readymade garment (RMG) workers.
The FMCG opened Astha shops in around 143 RMG factories and awarded scholarships to 150 children of RMG workers in 2021. It also taught 11 million school-going children handwashing to curb Covid and bring hygiene awareness during the same period, as per the report.
It also invested Tk20 lakh in 2021 conducting 334 free dental camps that reached 1 million people. In democratizing healthcare, Unilever provided health care services to over 15 lakh people of remote chars bringing experts to remote areas through 500 health camps that conducted around 17,000 surgeries.
The company also reports having reached 75% recycle structure capability, and reduced 250 tonnes of plastic with a 52% recycle structure implemented in 2021, collecting 117 tonnes, of which, 17 tonnes were from 4,44,000 households through municipal backed plastic waste collection initiative operating in all of its 27 wards.
“We have completed technical readiness to find the solutions to reach a 75% mark. These will be commercially rolled out phase by phase. We implemented the 52% recyclable structures which we have the capability and have already rolled out in market mark,” Shamima Akhter, the head of Corporate Affairs told Dhaka Tribune.
During the event, the minister of industries inaugurated a refill machine, a unique Initiative of Unilever Bangladesh to reduce plastic use through technology and behaviour change of consumers.
In regards to energy sustainability, the FMCG reported saving 1.2 Million GJ of energy since 2010.
Due to its wide network and purpose-led brands, the company says it understands and values that its actions not only impact 20,000 people: who work in its extended value chain or outer core but also 11 lakh retail partners and their families across Bangladesh.
"In our history of operating in Bangladesh over the last five decades, Unilever has always been a forerunner to do good for the country and the people. In alignment with Unilever's global compass commitments, we encourage behaviour change through our purposeful brands, embedded sustainability into every part of our business and built multi-stakeholder models to bring in our partners including the Government of Bangladesh in our journey toward building a sustainable Bangladesh,” CEO and Managing Director of Unilever Bangladesh Zaved Akhtar said,
"Throughout the world, we have strategized and utilized our purposeful brands to improve the health, confidence and wellbeing of people and help achieve SDG Goals of Zero Hunger, Good Health and Wellbeing and Clean Water and Sanitation. Expanding that philosophy in Bangladesh, we have used our brands to improve the lives of people. We have many success stories like Improving oral hygiene of the children of the country and teaching over 10 million school children proper hand washing since the 1990s. We are now focusing on replicating these experiences for toilet hygiene, the habit of safe water consumption and mental wellbeing- as we identified these to be the areas where there are barriers or taboos."
But it is clear we need to do much more within our business, and by using our size, scale and partnerships in our value chain and beyond. Inspired by this very philosophy, we, at Unilever, aspire to create a society with equity at its core, and we believe that it needs a more hands-on and concerted holistic approach," Akhtar said.
"Unilever Bangladesh's Sustainability report is our small effort to talk about the initiatives that we are taking to build a sustainable Bangladesh. It is not an end outcome but the beginning of a journey of some big daunting goals that we need to achieve not singularly rather through collaboration and co-creation with our partners," he added.
With a legacy spanning more than five decades, Unilever has been driving its resources to become a force of good for the people and the country by driving sustainable changes in terms of health, environment, and society, the company stated.
According to the FMCG, it continues to innovate products that cater to the greater Bangladeshi market and materialize the vision of building a sustainable future in Bangladesh through utilizing its value chain, purposeful brands, and instrumental partnerships.
Unilever Bangladesh Limited (UBL) is the largest Fast Moving Consumer Goods Company with a legacy of more than five decades and 9 out of 10 households using one or more of its brands for their daily needs. With over 28 brands including Lux, Lifebuoy, Surf, Closeup, Sunsilk, Ponds, Vaseline, Dove, Taaza and Pureit, the company is a part of the everyday life of millions of consumers across Bangladesh.
UBL is a subsidiary of Unilever, one of the world's leading suppliers of consumer-packaged goods in more than 190 countries.