Unilever to remove all fossil fuels from cleaning products by 2030
Consumer goods giant Unilever has today announced that it will remove all fossil fuels from its cleaning products by 2030 as part of a €1bn global investment programme.
The Anglo-Dutch firm, which has seen demand for its products jump in recent months due to heightened health concerns brought on by the coronavirus pandemic, said it would replace fossil fuels with renewable sources of carbon such as algae.
Nearly half – 46 per cent – of the firm’s carbon footprint is made up by cleaning and laundry products. By removing fossil fuels from these, Unilever will decrease its carbon footprint by 20 per cent, it said.
The company said that the move would “transform the sustainability” of cleaning brands such as Domestos, Persil, Cif and Sunlight.
The initiative is the first stage in Unilever’s “Clean Future” plan to make all of its products emissions free by 2039.
Peter ter Kulve, the company’s president of home care, said: “Clean Future is our vision to radically overhaul our business.
“As an industry, we must break our dependence on fossil fuels, including as a raw material for our products. We must stop pumping carbon from under the ground when there is ample carbon on and above the ground if we can learn to utilise it at scale.”
The rest of Unilever’s €1bn investment will go towards financing research into biotechnology, low carbon chemistry, and creating biodegradable products.
The chief executive of conservation group the WWF, Tanya Steele, welcome the announcement, saying it would make an “important contribution” towards the transition to a new kind of economy.
“The world must shift away from fossil fuels towards renewable resources that reduce pressure on our fragile ecosystems and that help to restore nature”, she said.
“These significant commitments from Unilever, combined with strong sustainable sourcing, have real potential to make an important contribution as we transition to an economy that works with nature, not against it.”