Unilever has today announced it will source 100% of the carbon derived from fossil fuels in its cleaning and laundry product formulations, with renewable or recycled carbon.
This move is set to transform the sustainability of global cleaning and laundry brands including Persil, Sunlight, Cif and Domestos, the company said.
Unilever said that its new ambition is a core component of Unilever’s ‘Clean Future’ programme, which is designed to change the way that some of the world’s best known cleaning and laundry products are created, manufactured and packaged.
Carbon Footprint Reduction
The chemicals currently used in Unilever’s cleaning and laundry products make up the greatest proportion of their carbon footprint (46%) across their lifecycle, the company said.
Therefore, by transitioning away from fossil fuel-derived chemicals in product formulations, the company said that it will unlock novel ways of reducing the carbon footprint of some of the world’s biggest cleaning and laundry brands.
Unilever highlighted that it expects this initiative alone to reduce the carbon footprint of the product formulations by up to 20%.
Peter ter Kulve, Unilever’s President of Home Care, explained: “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," he said.
Ter Kulve noted that the company has seen unprecedented demand for its cleaning products in recent months.
"But that should not be a reason for complacency," he said.
"We cannot let ourselves become distracted from the environmental crises that our world – our home – is facing. Pollution. Destruction of natural habitats. The climate emergency. This is the home we share, and we have a responsibility to protect it,” he added.
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