DR SWEAT Sustainability Commitments
2039
Reach net-zero emissions
Unilever says it plans to reach net-zero emissions across its full value chain by 2039. That means it wants to reduce emissions as far as possible and deal with the rest through removals or offsets. The target covers both its own operations and its supply chain, which is important because most of its emissions come from outside its factories.
2030
Eliminate own-operation emissions
Unilever says it is on track to remove emissions from its own operations by 2030. These are Scope 1 and 2 emissions, meaning pollution from its sites and purchased electricity. The company says it has already made a large cut and now runs all factories on renewable grid electricity.
2026
Cut virgin plastic by one-third
Unilever says it now aims to reduce virgin plastic use by one-third by 2026. Virgin plastic is new plastic made from fossil fuels. This target replaced an earlier promise to halve virgin plastic by 2025, which the company said it would likely miss.
2028
Cut virgin plastic by 40%
Unilever says it wants a 40% reduction in virgin plastic by 2028, using 2019 as the baseline. This is a longer-term packaging target and is part of the company’s revised plastics plan. The source material says the company has already made some progress, but still faces major packaging challenges.
2030
Make rigid plastics reusable or recyclable
Unilever says it aims for 100% reusable, recyclable, or compostable packaging for rigid plastics by 2030. Recyclable means the material can be processed into new material, while compostable means it can break down under the right conditions. The company has extended this deadline after earlier timelines proved too difficult.
2035
Make flexible plastics reusable or recyclable
Unilever says it aims for 100% reusable, recyclable, or compostable packaging for flexible plastics by 2035. Flexible plastics include items like soft pouches and wrappers, which are often harder to recycle. The longer deadline reflects the technical and infrastructure limits described in the source material.
