Unilever's mission for net zero-carbon emissions

Unilever is a multinational consumer goods company that is based in the UK. The company’s product range includes nutrition, personal care and hygiene products across brands like Ben & Jerry’s and Knorr, through significant emission reduction. It wants to focus on delivering impact by making sustainable progress integral to its business performance and sustainability goals.

This article was updated on 2026.

Unilever’s environmental goals

Unilever has many ambitious goals with respect to its environmental footprint. The company is committed to achieving net-zero emissions across its value chain by 2039, eleven years ahead of the 2050 date most companies have set. That plan is not just management ambition: it was put to shareholders and backed by more than 97% of votes at the 2024 AGM.

Unilever is committed to reducing its greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions across both its operations and supply chain. For its own operations (Scope 1 and 2), it aims to cut emissions completely by 2030, based on 2015 levels. This goal is approved by the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi). By 2023, the company had already reduced these emissions by 70%, ahead of its 2025 target.

In its wider value chain, the company plans to reduce Scope 3 emissions from energy and industrial sources by 42% by 2030, compared to 2021. These emissions come from sourcing ingredients and packaging, transporting goods, energy use, and the disposal of its products. It is also working to cut emissions from forest, land, and agriculture activities (FLAG), particularly those related to ingredient sourcing, by 30.3% by 2030, using 2021 as a baseline.

Unilever is on a mission to reduce its environmental impact and create a shift in its practices to prioritise the environment. The company is one to watch out for, as it is contributing to carbon labelling, which will be a new way for consumers to truly understand the environmental impact of their purchasing options.

Read more: Volkswagen's commitment to nature-based solutions

Strength through partnerships 

In 2021, Unilever ran a pilot with a small group of diverse suppliers demonstrating a range of climate capabilities. It tested hands-on guidance and access to tools and resources and acted on the suppliers’ feedback to scale its Supplier Climate Programme, building suppliers’ capacity to measure, share, and reduce their Product Carbon Footprint (PCF).

Unilever aimed to engage around 300 key suppliers by the end of 2024 covering roughly 44% of relevant Scope 3 emissions (tied to raw materials, ingredients, and packaging). By the end of 2024, they had actively engaged 291 suppliers accounting for approximately 42% of those emissions. These suppliers include third-party manufacturers who produce finished goods for Unilever.

Read more: 5 Sustainable business practices to achieve net zero

Unilever has partnered with several organisations (implementation partners) to carry out its Supplier Climate Programme and to help accelerate action across the private sector.

Unilever defines supplier climate leadership as partners who:

• Set a Science Based Targets Initiative (SBTi)-aligned target

• Publicly report progress towards meeting this target

• Share product-level GHG emissions footprint data with Unilever

Read more: Meta’s journey to sustainability: pioneering net-zero emissions

Decarbonisation effort 

Unilever is also aiming to reduce its carbon footprint in its operations. The company has sourced 100% renewable grid energy across all of its operations globally since the start of 2020. Unilever was also a founding signatory of the RE100 global campaign. RE100 is an initiative that brings together businesses that are committed to using 100% renewable energy. Unilever’s facilities also use solar energy and have on-site solar installations in over 20 countries.

Ready to make a positive impact like Unilever? Be a part of the change. Together with Green Earth, you can understand and measure your environmental impact and discover ways you can reduce your carbon footprint and help the planet.