Why it matters
Where agricultural products come from and how they are grown are issues of concern to governments, consumers and campaigning organisations.
The issues
Governments, consumers and campaigning organisations are increasingly interested in where food comes from and how it is grown. They are looking to companies to take responsibility for a range of issues in the supply chain because in recent years heightened media attention and public debate have turned the spotlight onto topics such as working conditions and fair incomes for growers, the environmental impacts of cultivating crops including deforestation, the economic well-being of producer communities and animal welfare.
Equally, changing weather patterns, water scarcity and unsustainable farming practices could have an impact on our business, by threatening the long-term sustainability of agricultural production. With agricultural raw materials being so important to our brands, we have a clear interest in ensuring the security of future supplies. Also, increasingly, we see the necessity of connecting our sustainable agriculture work more closely with our brands and communication with shoppers and consumers.
Why it matters to the business
We have an important role to play. A lack of action on these issues will have serious repercussions on the environment and in grower communities. This presents an operational and reputational risk to our business.
We have seen the success of our approach in our work on sustainable tea and cage-free eggs.
Tea
In 2007 Unilever became the first major tea company to commit to sourcing its tea from sustainable sources on such a large scale. During 2008, the first packs of tea carrying the Rainforest Alliance's Certified™ seal became available in Europe. This followed our commitment that all the tea used in our Lipton and PG Tips tea bags in Western Europe will be sourced from Rainforest Alliance Certified™ farms by 2015.
The Rainforest Alliance seal was instrumental in winning a contract to supply tea for McDonald's in several European countries.
Cage-free eggs
Ben & Jerry's has used only cage-free eggs in its European ice cream since 2004. In 2008, our Hellmann's, Amora and Calvé brands of sauces and dressings announced their commitment to source only cage-free eggs for products sold in Western Europe.
Collaboration
Our sustainable agriculture team has been an integral part of our Brand Imprint process. It has contributed its expertise on sustainability issues for our key crops, such as palm oil, tea and tomatoes, and has also assessed a number of other ingredients which we use in smaller quantities such as walnuts, coconuts, pineapple and strawberries.
