Nicola Martin, Origin Green, Bord Bia – Irish Food Board

At a recent gathering in London, industry, government and academia learned how Unilever was progressing against its 50+ targets set out in the Unilever Sustainable Living Plan and the documentable success of their Sustainable Living brands. The 18 Sustainable Living Brands which include the likes of Ben & Jerry’s, Dove and Hellmann’s, grew over 50% faster than the rest of the business and delivered more than 60% of Unilever’s growth in 2016.

Commenting on this success, CEO of Unilever, Paul Polman said: “We have made great progress. Our results show that sustainability is good for business, with increasing evidence that our ‘sustainable living brands’ do better.

“There is no doubt that the Unilever Sustainable Living Plan is making us more competitive by helping us to build our brands and spur innovation, strengthen our supply chain and reduce our risks, lower our costs, and build trust in our business. It is helping Unilever to serve society and our many consumers, and in doing so, create value for shareholders.”

The Company confirmed that it is on track to meet most of the 50+ targets set out in the Unilever Sustainable Living Plan. It announced it had avoided costs of over €700million through eco-efficiency measures in its factories since 2008, of which its waste programme had contributed to cost avoidance of around €250million.

The clear success of the Unilever’s Sustainable Living Brands aligns with Bord Bia’s Consumer Lifestyle Trends programme, which under the Responsible living trend identified how consumers now have an expectation of businesses and their brands to go above and beyond “doing less bad” and simply meeting government standards. The knowledge that a brand is “doing more good” for the consumer, for others and for the environment can make an overall impact on the purchasing decision.

Today over 250 of Ireland’s own food and drink companies are working towards their own sustainability plans under Origin Green programme. These verified members have committed to a minimum number of sustainability targets across three key areas, in raw material sourcing, manufacturing processes and social sustainability. Their final plans are independently verified by SGS and are reviewed on an annual basis, enabling each company to improve their sustainable production.

Download the 2016 Sustainability Report to learn more about the results achieved by Origin Green verified members to date or visit OriginGreen.ie.