Abstract
The article provides an overview on the meaning of sustainable development in relation to activities undertaken by Unilever. The paper focuses on sustainable living plan by the global company Unilever covering nutrition, hygiene and overall health of consumers and the environment. The introduction discusses the various sustainable projects that the company plans to support to enable them deal with the effects on climate and environmental changes, this highlights conflicts between economic, social and environmental pillars of development. There’s then discussion on the importance of sustainability and sustainable development. This includes the concepts and difficulties encountered by Unilever in the process of implementing sustainable projects.
Introduction
Report reveals that Unilever products are widely used all over the world. This has given the Company tremendous boost enabling creation of employment opportunities to all whose lives are linked to the company’s success. All the activities undertaken by Unilever should aim at reducing negative environmental impacts while promoting positive social impacts (Unilever, 2007, pp. 5-23).
Many people around the world are in demand of better quality lives from Unilever products such as soap, shampoo and tea. The drive towards sustainability is meant to satisfy consumers’ desire to purchase eco-friendly products. Cooperation amongst companies within the same industry concerning environmental sustainability largely contributes towards their ability to maintain considerable profit levels for quite duration of time. It also explores their ability to acquire resources within specified areas (Unilever, 2007, pp. 5-23).
Unilever aims at supporting sustainability goals at retail level where they offer them expertise in areas such as sustainable agriculture and analysis of the lifecycle. This would help in reinforcing relationship between the company and consumers (Unilever, 2007, p. 5). At the same time the company is embarking on innovating new packaging for their products for the benefit of the customers within developing countries. The company commands large market share within developing countries hence their products face great sustainability challenges.
The business aims at promoting health and well-being of consumers which ultimately saves a lot of costs as well as improving the environment. Health would be promoted through highly nutritious goods offered under clean environment, which presents one of the best disease preventive measures. The environment would focus on mitigation of greenhouse gases, water treatment as well as recycling of waste products from the company like those obtained from packaging materials (Unilever, 2007, pp. 5-23).
Some of the sacrifices involved include reduction on the percentage of water previously used by the company. Most of water is used on laundry detergents and fabric conditioners; this requires reduction in water needed per consumer use of any Unilever’s product (Unilever, 2007, p. 8).
The company will have to design products and tools which enable consumers to utilize as little amount of water as possible. Such a strategy would prove beneficial to countries where water is a scarce resource. Targeted areas are directly related to the various company objectives and this might result into positive developments. This is since the sustainability plans laid by Unilever not only targets the local community but also regional and international levels of development (Unilever, 2007, p.23).
Sustainable Development
Sustainability refers to development of specific programs having the capability of satisfying current society requirements without endangering their present and future lives. Sustainability could as well be interpreted in either natural or economic terms which results into different definitions of the same. The whole process encompasses efficient development with main focus on the non-decreasing parameters.
This involves wise management and utilization of available resources with the future and present generation in mind (World Commission on Environment and Development, 1987). Through sustainability, availability and security of current resources are assured since their preservation would be granted priority ensuring that quality life is sustained under healthy economic, societal and natural systems of operation.
Economic Sustainability
Economic sustainability ensures emission of minimal waste within the production processes. Such control contributes towards increased profitability better for maintaining the society. Economic sustainability would ensure constant flow of quality products for the benefit of consumers and the environment (Lovins et al, 1999). The company can utilize trade and technology for the purposes of increasing the rate and level of resource productivity, hence preventing the problem on resource shortage within the. Such substitutes are very necessary since they cut-off the issue of being too much dependent on nature besides population (Rees, 1999).
Unilever needs to focus on economic sustainability which involves adjustments done within the processes of running businesses based on productive resources. This is of great concern to all stakeholders since it determines the future performance of the company (Lovins et al, 1999). The company may face difficulties in dealing with abrupt changes in the financial management which could influence the level of profitability towards the negative. Unilever focuses majorly on the benefits they can obtain from their resources rather than actual improvements and equitable distribution. The difficulty is encountered on the means of distribution of economic capital for the purposes of benefiting the society.
Environmental Sustainability
In making use of environmental capital Unilever ensures that their goods are utilized to the maximum with minimum waste. The current packaging system ensures continuous flow of new products having the capability of staying for quite some time without causing environmental damage. Environmental capital provides continuous services through recycling as well as easy treatment of resources. Increasing production level for the sake of satisfying larger population would present the company with the opportunity of easily undermining the processes of sustainability since it advocates obsession with material wealth, competition amongst related companies within the industry and at the same time competing on the level of resource extraction (Fien, 1993c, p.39).
Social Sustainability
Social capital would help the Unilever sustain community organizations. Unilever would ensure effective management of the organizations at community level through conservative use of available resources as well as attraction of external resources. The difficulty arises in the effect that the company’s focus revolves around wise utilization of available resources ignoring the importance of adapting towards the changes presented by external environment.
Society is in dire need of clean environment for the sake of their health as well as future sustenance. Most of the communities depend mostly on Unilever products hence slight improvement on the products would benefit many conversely slight mistake would impact a lot of damage. The company should make plans of extending their training to the surrounding communities which ensures individual responsibility of managing own environment (Woolcock & Narayan, 2000).
Unilever strategizes on implementation of situations that would trigger consumers change their ways and means towards sustained development economically, socially and environmentally. The company would make use of their behavioural scientists to help develop effective intervention plans. This includes screening processes on salt, sugar and fat content on their food products (Unilever, 2007, pp. 8-10).
Unilever understands sustainability as the process where a company understands ecological dynamics and makes sustainable decisions capable of withstanding various environmental and human challenges. This helps in improving the general livelihood of consumers guaranteeing good health hence productivity. The relationship which human being enjoys with the environment has been constantly changing demanding for quick and appropriate policy implementation (Newman and Kenworthy, 1999).
Conclusion
The major stumbling blocks faced by Unilever in providing quality products and services world-wide include factors such as rapid increase in population and rapid urbanization. These are some of the potential causes of environmental degradation. Human through their activities have at the same caused great damage to plants and animals leading to extinction of some species. The human actions and ever increasing demand for resources contributes tremendously towards depletion of what is referred to as wealth of life and at sustaining ability of the environment’s biological system.
Such activities call for immediate action plans towards the conservation of the biodiversity. Management of resources at society level determines the level of resource productivity within the ecosystem. This would depend on the implementation of right policies and involvement of concerned institutions together with their appropriate management practices (Reid, 1997, p39). Indeed the change being experienced in the global climate presents a big threat to global companies like Unilever. Weather impacts and climatic policies drafted for the purposes of environmental protection affects business performances to a greater extent.
Market agencies should not fail in their bid to protect bio-diversity by imposing necessary fines on companies contributing higher percentage of green house gas emissions to the environment. There should be economic incentives endowed with the purpose of safeguarding clean environment including air and water. Unilever have got enough machinery to help in designing policies suitable for preservation of socio-economic cultures. Hence resource management should be practiced on a larger and more appropriate scope. Educational programs should embark on teaching matters concerning environment so as to enable sound decisions concerning issues to with sustainability. There is need to develop general sustainability assessment methods applicable to all companies globally (World Commission on Environment and Development, 1987).
Reference List
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