{{Short description|British multinational consumer goods company}}{{pp-protected|small=yes}}{{Use British English|date=July 2022}}{{Use dmy dates|date=November 2023}}

|Revenue|46.467|51.324|49.797|48.436|53.272|52.713|53.715|50.982|51.980|50.724|52.444|60.073|59.604|Net Income|4.252|4.480|4.842|5.171|4.909|5.184|6.053|9.389|5.625|5.581|6.621|8.269|7.140|Assets|29.583|30.351|28.131|28.385|32.279|35.873|37.108|39.684|64.806|67.659|75.095|77.821|75.266|Employees|171,000|172,000|174,000|173,000|169,000|169,000|165,000|158,000|153,000|155,000|149,000|148,000|127,000

factoids

name

Public company>Public

{{EuronextAmsterdam|UNA|GB00B10RZP78|XAMS{edih}

FTSE 100 component

AEX component

LQ45 component{{efn|name=fn2}}

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{{ISIN

pl=y

{{ISIN

pl=y

name=fn2}}}}| predecessors = {hide}unbulleted list

|Lever Brothers
|Margarine Unie

{edih}

{edih}| area_served = Worldwide| key_people = {hide}unbulleted list

|Ian Meakins (chair)
|{{wd-ceo{edih}

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Fast-moving consumer goods>Consumer goods

Foods
Condiments
Ice cream
Energy drinks
Wellbeing vitamins
Minerals and supplements
Tea
Instant coffee
Baby food
Pharmaceutical and consumer healthcare products
Breakfast cereals
Cleaning agents
Water and air purifiers
Pet food
Toothpaste
Bottled water
Soft drinks
Beauty products
Personal care

{edih}

See List of Unilever brands>list of brands

PUBLISHER=UNILEVER, 12 February 2024, | operating_income = {{decrease}} â‚¬9.758 billion (2023)| net_income = {{decrease}} â‚¬7.140 billion (2023)| assets = {{decrease}} â‚¬75.266 billion (2023)| equity = {{decrease}} â‚¬20.764 billion (2023)| owner =

PUBLISHER=UNILEVER, 12 February 2024,

Unilever House| hq_location_city = London, England| hq_location_country = United Kingdom

unilever.com}}| footnotes = }}Unilever PLC is a British multinational fast-moving consumer goods company founded on 2 September 1929 following the merger of British soap maker Lever Brothers and Dutch margarine producer Margarine Unie. It is headquartered in London.The company’s products include baby food, beauty products, bottled water, breakfast cereals, cleaning agents, condiments, energy drinks, healthcare and hygiene products, ice cream, instant coffee, pet food, pharmaceuticals, soft drinks, tea, and toothpaste. It is the largest producer of soap in the world,WEB, UK aid and Unilever to target a billion people in global handwashing campaign,www.gov.uk/government/news/uk-aid-and-unilever-to-target-a-billion-people-in-global-handwashing-campaign, Gov.uk, British Government, 28 March 2020, 23 July 2020,web.archive.org/web/20200723033054/https://www.gov.uk/government/news/uk-aid-and-unilever-to-target-a-billion-people-in-global-handwashing-campaign, live, and its products are available in over 190 countries.WEB,www.unilever.com/sustainable-living/ourapproach/ourbusinessataglance/, Our approach to sustainability, Unilever, 21 March 2015, dead,unilever.com/sustainable-living/ourapproach/ourbusinessataglance/," title="web.archive.org/web/20140402110549unilever.com/sustainable-living/ourapproach/ourbusinessataglance/,">web.archive.org/web/20140402110549unilever.com/sustainable-living/ourapproach/ourbusinessataglance/, 2 April 2014, dmy-all, Unilever’s largest brands include Axe (Lynx), Ben & Jerry’s, Dove, Hellmann’s, Knorr, Lifebuoy, Lux, Magnum, Omo (Persil), Rexona, Sunlight, Sunsilk, and Wall’s (Heartbrand). The company is organised into five business groups: Beauty & Wellbeing, Personal Care, Home Care, Nutrition, and Ice Cream. It has research and development facilities in China, India, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, and the United States.Unilever R&D Locations {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140209075535unilever.com/innovation/centres/ |date=9 February 2014 }}, Unilever, viewed 19 December 2013In the 1930s, Unilever acquired the United Africa Company. During the second half of the 20th century, the company increasingly diversified from being a maker of products made of oils and fats, and expanded its operations worldwide. It has made numerous corporate acquisitions, including Lipton (1971), Brooke Bond (1984), Pond’s (1987), Hellmann’s (2000), Ben & Jerry’s (2000), SlimFast (2000), Knorr (2000), Alberto-Culver (2010), Dollar Shave Club (2016), and Pukka Herbs (2017). Unilever divested its speciality chemicals businesses to Imperial Chemical Industries in 1997. In the 2010s, under the leadership of Paul Polman, the company gradually shifted its focus towards health and beauty brands and away from food brands that showed slow growth.NEWS, Boyle, Matthew, Jarvis, Paul, Unilever Spreads Split Boosts Chance of Exit as Shares Gain, 4 December 2014, Bloomberg News,www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-12-04/unilever-plans-to-split-spreads-business-into-standalone-unit.html, 12 March 2017, 9 December 2014,www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-12-04/unilever-plans-to-split-spreads-business-into-standalone-unit.html," title="web.archive.org/web/20141209181529www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-12-04/unilever-plans-to-split-spreads-business-into-standalone-unit.html,">web.archive.org/web/20141209181529www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-12-04/unilever-plans-to-split-spreads-business-into-standalone-unit.html, live, Unilever has a primary listing on the London Stock Exchange and a secondary listing on the Euronext Amsterdam, and is a constituent of the FTSE 100 Index and the AEX index.

History

File:Outside Lever House, Port Sunlight (2).jpg|thumb|Lever House in Port Sunlight Port Sunlight

1921â€“1940

In September 1929, Unilever was formed by a merger of the operations of Dutch Margarine Unie and British soapmaker Lever Brothers, with the name of the resulting company a portmanteau of the name of both companies.WEB,www.unilever.com/about/who-we-are/our-history/1920-1929.html,www.unilever.com/about/who-we-are/our-history/1920-1929.html," title="web.archive.org/web/20150725211548www.unilever.com/about/who-we-are/our-history/1920-1929.html,">web.archive.org/web/20150725211548www.unilever.com/about/who-we-are/our-history/1920-1929.html, dead, 1920â€“1929: Unilever is formed, 25 July 2015, Unilever global company website, In the 1930s, the business grew, and new ventures were launched in Africa and Latin America. During this time, Unilever acquired the United Africa Company, created from a merger of the African & Eastern Trade Corporation and the Royal Niger Company, which oversaw British trade interests in present-day Nigeria during the colonial era.WEB, The United Africa Company Ltd,unilever-archives.com/Record.aspx?src=Catalog&id=GB1752.UAC, Unilever Archives, 19 March 2021, 14 April 2021,unilever-archives.com/Record.aspx?src=Catalog&id=GB1752.UAC," title="web.archive.org/web/20210414073850unilever-archives.com/Record.aspx?src=Catalog&id=GB1752.UAC,">web.archive.org/web/20210414073850unilever-archives.com/Record.aspx?src=Catalog&id=GB1752.UAC, live, The Nazi occupation of Europe during the Second World War meant that Unilever was unable to reinvest its capital into Europe, so it instead acquired new businesses in the United Kingdom and the United States.BOOK, Ben Wubs, International Business and National War Interests: Unilever Between Reich and Empire, 1939â€“45,archive.org/details/internationalbus00wubs, limited, 2008, Routledge, 978-1-134-11652-2, 154, In 1943, it acquired T. J. Lipton, a majority stake in Frosted Foods (owner of the Birds Eye brand in the UK)BOOK,books.google.com/books?id=hLlYiS8xwF0C&pg=PA110, 110, From Plain Fare to Fusion Food: British Diet from the 1890s to the 1990s, Derek J., Oddy, 2003, Boydell Press, 978-0851159348, and Batchelors Peas, one of the largest vegetables canners in the United Kingdom.JOURNAL, Jones, Geoffrey, Miskell, Peter, 2007, Acquisitions and firm growth: Creating Unilever’s ice cream and tea business,www.hbs.edu/faculty/Publication%20Files/Acquisitions%20and%20Firm%20Growth.pdf, Business History, 49, 1, 8â€“28, 21 March 2015, 10.1080/00076790601062974, 40340372, 20 January 2021,web.archive.org/web/20210120073751/https://www.hbs.edu/faculty/Publication%20Files/Acquisitions%20and%20Firm%20Growth.pdf, live, JOURNAL, Jones, Geoffrey, Kraft, Alison, 2004, Corporate venturing: the origins of Unilever’s pregnancy test,www.hbs.edu/faculty/Publication%20Files/Corporate%20venturing_%20the%20origins%20of%20Unilever’s%20pregnancy%20test_57e69cb9-7d58-4298-9dbb-58041552ae25.pdf, Business History, 46, 1, 100â€“122, 21 March 2015, 10.1080/00076790412331270139, 11532001, 18 March 2015,www.hbs.edu/faculty/Publication%20Files/Corporate%20venturing_%20the%20origins%20of%20Unilever%27s%20pregnancy%20test_57e69cb9-7d58-4298-9dbb-58041552ae25.pdf," title="web.archive.org/web/20150318031553www.hbs.edu/faculty/Publication%20Files/Corporate%20venturing_%20the%20origins%20of%20Unilever%27s%20pregnancy%20test_57e69cb9-7d58-4298-9dbb-58041552ae25.pdf,">web.archive.org/web/20150318031553www.hbs.edu/faculty/Publication%20Files/Corporate%20venturing_%20the%20origins%20of%20Unilever%27s%20pregnancy%20test_57e69cb9-7d58-4298-9dbb-58041552ae25.pdf, live, In 1944, Pepsodent was acquired.In 1933, Unilever Indonesia was established in December as Lever Zeepfabrieken N.V. and had operations in Cikarang, West Java at Rungkut, East Java and North Sumatra.NEWS,www.thejakartapost.com/news/2011/05/20/unilever-sets-aside-427m-expansion.html, Unilever sets aside $427m for expansion, The Jakarta Post, 20 May 2011, 7 February 2020, 9 August 2020,web.archive.org/web/20200809025226/https://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2011/05/20/unilever-sets-aside-427m-expansion.html, live,

1941â€“1960

After 1945, Unilever’s once-successful American businesses (Lever Brothers and T.J. Lipton) began to decline.WEB,hbswk.hbs.edu/item/unilevera-case-study, Unilever{{snd, A Case Study|last=Jones|work=Working Knowledge|access-date=10 February 2020|date=9 December 2002|first=Geoffrey|publisher=Harvard Business School|archive-date=31 October 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201031111139hbswk.hbs.edu/item/unilevera-case-study|url-status=live}}{{open access}} As a result, Unilever began to operate a “hands-off” policy towards the subsidiaries and left American management to its own devices.Sunsilk was first launched in the United Kingdom in 1954.BOOK, Greg Thain, John Bradley, FMCG: The Power of Fast-Moving Consumer Goods,books.google.com/books?id=i8MABAAAQBAJ&pg=PA426, 2014, First Edition Design Pub., 978-1-62287-647-1, 426, 18 May 2016, 19 March 2015,books.google.com/books?id=i8MABAAAQBAJ&pg=PA426," title="web.archive.org/web/20150319080844books.google.com/books?id=i8MABAAAQBAJ&pg=PA426,">web.archive.org/web/20150319080844books.google.com/books?id=i8MABAAAQBAJ&pg=PA426, live, Dove was first launched in the US in 1957. Unilever took full ownership of Frosted Foods in 1957, which it renamed Birds Eye.BOOK, Manuel Hensmans, Gerry Johnson, George Yip, Strategic Transformation: Changing While Winning, 2013, Palgrave Macmillan, 978-1-137-26845-7, 139, The US-based Good Humor ice cream business was acquired in 1961.WEB,www.unilever.co.uk/aboutus/ourhistory/1960s/, 1960â€“1969, unilever.co.uk, 21 March 2015, 5 January 2016,www.unilever.co.uk/aboutus/ourhistory/1960s/," title="web.archive.org/web/20160105090330www.unilever.co.uk/aboutus/ourhistory/1960s/,">web.archive.org/web/20160105090330www.unilever.co.uk/aboutus/ourhistory/1960s/, dead, By the mid-1960s, laundry soap and edible fats still contributed around half of Unilever’s corporate profits. However, a stagnant market for yellow fats (butter, margarine, and similar products) and increasing competition in detergents and soaps from Procter & Gamble forced Unilever to diversify. In 1971, Unilever acquired the British-based Lipton Ltd from Allied Suppliers. In 1978, National Starch was acquired for $487 million, marking the largest ever foreign-acquisition of a US company at that point.BOOK, Manuel Hensmans, Gerry Johnson, George Yip, Strategic Transformation: Changing While Winning, 2013, Palgrave Macmillan, 978-1-137-26845-7, 140,

1961â€“1980

By the end of the 1970s through acquisitions, Unilever had gained 30 per cent of the Western European ice cream market. In 1982, Unilever management decided to reposition itself from an unwieldy conglomerate to a more concentrated fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) company.BOOK, Manuel Hensmans, Gerry Johnson, George Yip, Strategic Transformation: Changing While Winning, 2013, Palgrave Macmillan, 978-1-137-26845-7, 141, In 1984, Unilever acquired Brooke Bond (maker of PG Tips tea) for Â£390 million in the company’s first successful takeover. In 1986, Unilever strengthened its position in the world skin care market by acquiring Ponds (merged from Chesebrough Manufacturing and Pond’s Creams), the maker of RagÃº, Pond’s, Aqua-Net, Cutex, and Vaseline in another hostile takeover. In 1989, Unilever bought Calvin Klein Cosmetics, FabergÃ©, and Elizabeth Arden, but the latter was later sold (in 2000) to FFI Fragrances.NEWS, The New York Times, 15 February 1996, Unilever Agrees to Buy Helene Curtis,www.nytimes.com/1996/02/15/business/unilever-agrees-to-buy-helene-curtis.html?pagewanted=all, Glenn, Collins, 27 November 2013, 19 December 2013,www.nytimes.com/1996/02/15/business/unilever-agrees-to-buy-helene-curtis.html?pagewanted=all," title="web.archive.org/web/20131219162450www.nytimes.com/1996/02/15/business/unilever-agrees-to-buy-helene-curtis.html?pagewanted=all,">web.archive.org/web/20131219162450www.nytimes.com/1996/02/15/business/unilever-agrees-to-buy-helene-curtis.html?pagewanted=all, live,

1981â€“2000

In 1992, Unilever Ghana was established in July following a merger of UAC Ghana Limited and Lever Brothers Ghana Limited.WEB,business.everythinghana.com/index.php?option=com_mtree&task=rate&link_id=40&Itemid=26, Ghana Business Index, 25 September 2008, dead,business.everythinghana.com/index.php?option=com_mtree&task=rate&link_id=40&Itemid=26," title="web.archive.org/web/20110710211440business.everythinghana.com/index.php?option=com_mtree&task=rate&link_id=40&Itemid=26,">web.archive.org/web/20110710211440business.everythinghana.com/index.php?option=com_mtree&task=rate&link_id=40&Itemid=26, 10 July 2011, In 1993, Unilever acquired Breyers from Kraft, which made the company the largest ice cream manufacturer in the United States.BOOK, Jones, Geoffrey, Renewing Unilever: Transformation and Tradition,books.google.com/books?id=KpU4OtH3kAwC&pg=PA349, 2005, Oxford University Press, 978-0-19-160842-1, 362, 18 May 2016, 19 March 2015,books.google.com/books?id=KpU4OtH3kAwC&pg=PA349," title="web.archive.org/web/20150319095438books.google.com/books?id=KpU4OtH3kAwC&pg=PA349,">web.archive.org/web/20150319095438books.google.com/books?id=KpU4OtH3kAwC&pg=PA349, live, In 1996, Unilever merged Elida Gibbs and Lever Brothers in its UK operations.MAGAZINE,www.marketingweek.co.uk/unilever-moots-merger-of-elida-gibbs-and-lever-bros/2018640.article, Unilever moots merger of Elida Gibbs and Lever Bros, Marketing Week, UK, 26 November 2013, Unilever is understood to be planning to merge its Elida Gibbs and Lever Brother’s operations after Elida Gibbs relocates its headquarters to Lever House in Kingston, Surrey., 2 December 2013,www.marketingweek.co.uk/unilever-moots-merger-of-elida-gibbs-and-lever-bros/2018640.article," title="web.archive.org/web/20131202221241www.marketingweek.co.uk/unilever-moots-merger-of-elida-gibbs-and-lever-bros/2018640.article,">web.archive.org/web/20131202221241www.marketingweek.co.uk/unilever-moots-merger-of-elida-gibbs-and-lever-bros/2018640.article, live, It also purchased Helene Curtis, significantly expanding its presence in the United States shampoo and deodorant market. The purchase brought Unilever the Suave and Finesse hair-care product brands and Degree deodorant brand.In 1997, Unilever sold its speciality chemicals division, including National Starch & Chemical, Quest, Unichema and Crosfield to Imperial Chemical Industries for Â£4.9 billion.BOOK, Jones, Geoffrey, Renewing Unilever: Transformation and Tradition,books.google.com/books?id=KpU4OtH3kAwC&pg=PA349, 2005, Oxford University Press, 978-0-19-160842-1, 364, 18 May 2016, 19 March 2015,books.google.com/books?id=KpU4OtH3kAwC&pg=PA349," title="web.archive.org/web/20150319095438books.google.com/books?id=KpU4OtH3kAwC&pg=PA349,">web.archive.org/web/20150319095438books.google.com/books?id=KpU4OtH3kAwC&pg=PA349, live, In 1998, Unilever established a sustainable agriculture programme.WEB,www.unilever.com/ourvalues/environment-society/sus-dev-report/integrating-sustainability/sustainable-agriculture/default.asp,www.unilever.com/ourvalues/environment-society/sus-dev-report/integrating-sustainability/sustainable-agriculture/default.asp," title="web.archive.org/web/20080511185915www.unilever.com/ourvalues/environment-society/sus-dev-report/integrating-sustainability/sustainable-agriculture/default.asp,">web.archive.org/web/20080511185915www.unilever.com/ourvalues/environment-society/sus-dev-report/integrating-sustainability/sustainable-agriculture/default.asp, Sustainable agriculture, 11 May 2008, unilever.com, 21 March 2015, In 2000, Unilever acquired the boutique mustard retailer Maille,NEWS,www.independent.co.uk/news/business/news/unilever-swallows-up-french-mustard-maker-for-pound460m-740739.html, Unilever swallows up French mustard maker for Â£460m, 25 November 1999, The Independent, en, 6 February 2020, 6 February 2020,web.archive.org/web/20200206204122/https://www.independent.co.uk/news/business/news/unilever-swallows-up-french-mustard-maker-for-pound460m-740739.html, live, Ben & Jerry’s and SlimFast for Â£1.63 billion,NEWS,www.washingtonpost.com/business/unilever-to-buy-ben-and-jerrys/2018/09/24/90a52f84-c020-11e8-be77-516336a26305_story.html, Unilever to Buy Ben & Jerry’s, Hamilton, Martha M., 13 April 2000, The Washington Post, 6 February 2020, 10 November 2020,web.archive.org/web/20201110212811/https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/unilever-to-buy-ben-and-jerrys/2018/09/24/90a52f84-c020-11e8-be77-516336a26305_story.html, live, NEWS,money.cnn.com/2000/04/12/europe/unilever/, Unilever buys Slim-Fast, 12 April 2000, CNN Money, 6 February 2020, 20 September 2020,web.archive.org/web/20200920135309/https://money.cnn.com/2000/04/12/europe/unilever/, live, Bestfoods for Â£13.4 billion.NEWS,www.wsj.com/articles/SB960304015993468523, Unilever Wins Battle to Buy Bestfoods; U.S. Firm’s Board Backs $20.3 Billion Bid, Journal, Nikhil Deogun and Ernest BeckStaff Reporters of The Wall Street, 7 June 2000, The Wall Street Journal, 6 February 2020, en-US, 0099-9660, 9 August 2020,web.archive.org/web/20200809183017/https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB960304015993468523, live, The Bestfoods acquisition increased Unilever’s scale in foods in America, and added brands including Knorr, Marmite, Bovril, and Hellmann’s to its portfolio. In exchange for European regulatory approval of the deal, Unilever divested itself of Oxo, Lesieur, McDonnells, Bla Band, Royco, and Batchelors.NEWS,www.theguardian.com/business/2000/sep/29/unilever, Unilever sells Oxo to seal Â£13bn deal, Osborn, Andrew, 29 September 2000, The Guardian, 6 February 2020, en-GB, 0261-3077, 9 August 2020,web.archive.org/web/20200809133709/https://www.theguardian.com/business/2000/sep/29/unilever, live, NEWS,www.wsj.com/articles/SB97013038989497630, EU Clears Unilever’s Purchase Of Bestfoods, With Conditions, Roundup, A. WSJ com News, 28 September 2000, The Wall Street Journal, 6 February 2020, en-US, 0099-9660, 6 February 2020,web.archive.org/web/20200206204116/https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB97013038989497630, live,

2001â€“2010

(File:Unilever-jobs-00-08.svg|thumb|Global employment at Unilever 2000â€“08 Black represents employment numbers in Europe, light grey represents the Americas and dark grey represents Asia and Africa.Between 2000 and 2008 Unilever reduced global workforce numbers by 41%, from 295,000 to 174,000.Notes: Europe figures for 2000â€“2003 are all Europe; from 2004 figures in black are Western Europe. For 2004â€“2008 figures for Asia and Africa include Eastern and Central Europe.Source: Unilever Annual Reports 2004, 2008)In 2001, Unilever split into two divisions: one for foods and one for home and personal care.NEWS,money.cnn.com/2000/08/04/europe/unilever/, Unilever splits units amid 14% drop in 2Q results, 4 August 2000, CNN Money, 6 February 2020, 25 October 2020,web.archive.org/web/20201025180950/https://money.cnn.com/2000/08/04/europe/unilever/, live, In the UK, it merged its Lever Brothers and Elida Faberge businesses as Lever Faberge in January 2001.NEWS, Witt, Joanna, Unilever creates Lever Faberge in UK consolidation,www.marketingmagazine.co.uk/article/70321/unilever-creates-lever-faberge-uk-consolidation, 13 March 2016, Marketing Magazine, 11 January 2001, 9 March 2022,web.archive.org/web/20220309201117/https://www.campaignlive.co.uk/article/unilever-creates-lever-faberge-uk-consolidation/70321?src_site=marketingmagazine, live, In 2003, Unilever announced the strategic decision to sell off the Dalda brand in both India and Pakistan.WEB, 10 January 2021, Seven years after delisting, Unilever Pakistan is investing heavily in growth,profit.pakistantoday.com.pk/2021/01/10/seven-years-after-delisting-unilever-pakistan-is-investing-heavily-in-growth/, 3 April 2022, Profit by Pakistan Today, en-US, In 2003, Bunge Limited acquired the Dalda brand from Hindustan Unilever Limited for reportedly under Rs 1 billion.NEWS, Viveat Susan Pinto, 5 March 2015, 40 years ago...And now: How Dalda built, and lost, its monopoly (Dalda was established in an advertising blitzkrieg but later ran into trouble), Business Standard (newspaper),www.business-standard.com/article/management/40-years-ago-and-now-how-dalda-built-and-lost-its-monopoly-115030501153_1.html, 20 September 2021, On 30 March 2004, Unilever Pakistan accepted an offer of Rs. 1.33 billion for the sale of its Dalda brand and related business of edible oils and fats to the newly incorporated company Dalda Foods (Pvt.) Limited.NEWS, Dilawar Hussain, 5 January 2008, Dalda grabs Tullo in edible oil business, Dawn (newspaper),www.dawn.com/news/283163/dalda-grabs-tullo-in-edible-oil-business, 20 September 2021, In 2002, the company sold its speciality oils and fats division, known as Loders Croklaan, for RM814 million (â‚¬218.5 million) to IOI Corporation, a Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia-based oil palm company. As part of the deal, the Loders Croklaan name was maintained.WEB,www.feednavigator.com/Suppliers/IOI-to-buy-Unilever-s-oils-and-fats-division, IOI to buy Unilever’s oils and fats division, 2 September 2002, 14 April 2017, 24 April 2016,www.feednavigator.com/Suppliers/IOI-to-buy-Unilever-s-oils-and-fats-division," title="web.archive.org/web/20160424085554www.feednavigator.com/Suppliers/IOI-to-buy-Unilever-s-oils-and-fats-division,">web.archive.org/web/20160424085554www.feednavigator.com/Suppliers/IOI-to-buy-Unilever-s-oils-and-fats-division, live, Unilever sold the brands Mazola, Argo & Kingsfords, Karo, Golden Griddle, and Henri’s, along with several of its Canadian brands, to ACH Food Companies, an American subsidiary of Associated British Foods.WEB,www.newson6.com/story/7686753/food-giant-unilever-to-sell-15-north-american-brands-including-mazola-cooking-oil, Food giant Unilever to sell 15 North American brands including Mazola cooking oil, newson6.com, en, 6 February 2020, 6 February 2020,web.archive.org/web/20200206204117/https://www.newson6.com/story/7686753/food-giant-unilever-to-sell-15-north-american-brands-including-mazola-cooking-oil, live, In 2004, Unilever Bangladesh, which was established in 1964WEB,www.bloomberg.com/research/stocks/private/snapshot.asp?privcapId=51886625, Unilever Bangladesh Limited: Private Company Information, Bloomberg, 29 October 2017, 29 October 2017,web.archive.org/web/20171029121243/https://www.bloomberg.com/research/stocks/private/snapshot.asp?privcapId=51886625, live, changed its former name Lever Brothers Bangladesh Ltd to its present name in December 2004,NEWS,www.unilever.com.bd/news/press-releases/2004/unilever-name-change.html, Unilever Name change, 1 December 2004, Unilever Bangladesh, 16 June 2018, en, 28 September 2020,web.archive.org/web/20200928160157/https://www.unilever.com.bd/news/press-releases/2004/unilever-name-change.html, live, is owned 60.4% by Unilever and 39.6% by the Government of Bangladesh.WEB, About Unilever,www.unilever.com.bd/about/who-we-are/about-Unilever/, Unilever Bangladesh, 23 January 2016, UBL is a Joint Venture of the Government of Bangladesh and Unilever. Unilever holds 60.4% share in UBL., 23 January 2016,web.archive.org/web/20160123003128/https://www.unilever.com.bd/about/who-we-are/about-Unilever/, live, NEWS, Unilever cuts down water usage,www.thedailystar.net/city/unilever-cuts-down-water-usage-153730, The Daily Star (Bangladesh), The Daily Star, 8 October 2015, 11 January 2016, 26 January 2016,www.thedailystar.net/city/unilever-cuts-down-water-usage-153730," title="web.archive.org/web/20160126224953www.thedailystar.net/city/unilever-cuts-down-water-usage-153730,">web.archive.org/web/20160126224953www.thedailystar.net/city/unilever-cuts-down-water-usage-153730, live, In 2007, Unilever partnered with Rainforest Alliance to sustainably source all its tea.NEWS, Nicholson, Marcy,www.signonsandiego.com/news/business/20070525-0857-tea-unilever-sustainable.html, Unilever to sell environmentally sustainable tea, The San Diego Union-Tribune, Reuters, 25 May 2007, 19 April 2011, 31 July 2009,www.signonsandiego.com/news/business/20070525-0857-tea-unilever-sustainable.html," title="web.archive.org/web/20090731212847www.signonsandiego.com/news/business/20070525-0857-tea-unilever-sustainable.html,">web.archive.org/web/20090731212847www.signonsandiego.com/news/business/20070525-0857-tea-unilever-sustainable.html, live, In 2009, Unilever agreed to acquire the personal care business of Sara Lee Corporation, including brands such as Radox, Badedas and Duschdas.NEWS,money.cnn.com/2009/09/25/news/international/unilever_sara_lee_personal_care/, Unilever to buy Sara Lee’s personal care unit for $1.87B, 25 September 2009, CNN Money, 6 February 2020, 21 October 2020,web.archive.org/web/20201021140032/https://money.cnn.com/2009/09/25/news/international/unilever_sara_lee_personal_care/, live, The Sara Lee acquisition was completed on 6 December 2010.WEB,www.cosmeticsdesign-europe.com/Article/2010/12/07/Unilever-completes-acquisition-of-Sara-Lee-s-body-care-business, Unilever completes acquisition of Sara Lee’s body care business, cosmeticsdesign-europe.com, cosmeticsdesign-europe.com, en-GB, 6 February 2020, 7 August 2020,web.archive.org/web/20200807113856/https://www.cosmeticsdesign-europe.com/Article/2010/12/07/Unilever-completes-acquisition-of-Sara-Lee-s-body-care-business, live, In 2010, Unilever acquired the Diplom-Is in Denmark,NEWS,www.thestreet.com/investing/stocks/unilever-cutting-deals-10855028, Unilever Buys TINE Danish Dairy Unit, Tse, Andrea, TheStreet, en-us, 6 February 2020, 9 August 2020,web.archive.org/web/20200809185046/https://www.thestreet.com/investing/stocks/unilever-cutting-deals-10855028, live, Unilever announced that it had entered into a definitive agreement to sell its consumer tomato products business in Brazil to Cargill,NEWS,www.bizjournals.com/twincities/stories/2010/09/20/daily60.html, Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal, Cargill pays $350.5 million for Unilever’s Brazilian tomato biz, 6 February 2020, 14 December 2020,web.archive.org/web/20201214024515/https://www.bizjournals.com/twincities/stories/2010/09/20/daily60.html, live, purchased Alberto-Culver, a maker of personal care and household products including Simple, VO5, Nexxus, TRESemmÃ©, and Mrs. Dash, for US$3.7 billion.NEWS,www.nytimes.com/2010/09/28/business/global/28unilever.html, Unilever Makes a $3.7 Billion Deal to Buy Alberto Culver, Nicholson, Chris V., 27 September 2010, The New York Times, 6 February 2020, en-US, 0362-4331, 14 May 2019,web.archive.org/web/20190514193146/https://www.nytimes.com/2010/09/28/business/global/28unilever.html, live, acquired EVGA’s ice cream brands, which included Scandal, Variete and Karabola, and its distribution network in Greece, for an undisclosed amount.WEB,www.fdbusiness.com/unilever-acquires-greek-ice-cream-brands/, Unilever Acquires Greek Ice Cream Brands {{!, FDBusiness.com|language=en-GB|access-date=6 February 2020|archive-date=23 September 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200923033342www.fdbusiness.com/unilever-acquires-greek-ice-cream-brands/|url-status=live}}

2011â€“2020

2021â€“present

In April 2021, Unilever established a new stand-alone beauty business, Elida Beauty, which will own and manage the following brands: Brut, Brylcreem, Timotei, Q-tips, Noxema, TIGI, VO5, Toni & Guy, Matey, Moussel, Monsavon, Impulse, St Ives, Alberto Balsam, Badedas, Fissan, Pento, Pond’s, Careess, Lever 2000, Williams, Elida, and Alberto.NEWS,www.happi.com/contents/view_breaking-news/2021-04-30/unilever-establishes-elida-beauty/, Unilever establishes Elida Beauty, 30 April 2021, Happi, 26 July 2022, In August 2021, Florida governor Ron DeSantis placed Unilever on a list of “Scrutinized Companies that Boycott Israel” because it had “no current plan to prevent Ben & Jerry’s from terminating business activities in Israeli-controlled territories”. The ice-cream brand has 90 days to stop engaging in “the BDS movement”, or the state will no longer contract with the parent company Unilever or any of its subsidiaries.NEWS, Williams, Jordan, 3 August 2021, Florida takes action against Ben & Jerry’s parent company amid fight over Israel,thehill.com/homenews/state-watch/566069-florida-takes-action-against-ben-jerrys-parent-company-amid-boycott, 3 August 2021, The Hill, en, 3 August 2021,web.archive.org/web/20210803150917/https://thehill.com/homenews/state-watch/566069-florida-takes-action-against-ben-jerrys-parent-company-amid-boycott, live, In November 2021, Unilever agreed to sell most of its tea business under the Ekaterra division to investment firm CVC Capital Partners for â‚¬4.5 billion. This deal excluded the Unilever tea business in India, Indonesia and Nepal, and the Lipton Ice Tea joint-venture with PepsiCo.WEB, 18 November 2021, Unilever offloads black tea business as UK passion for cuppa goes cold,www.theguardian.com/business/2021/nov/18/unilever-offloads-black-tea-business-as-uk-passion-for-cuppa-goes-cold, 5 January 2022, the Guardian, en, 5 January 2022,web.archive.org/web/20220105154531/https://www.theguardian.com/business/2021/nov/18/unilever-offloads-black-tea-business-as-uk-passion-for-cuppa-goes-cold, live, The deal was completed in summer 2022.WEB,www.unilever.com/news/press-and-media/press-releases/2022/unilever-announces-completion-of-the-sale-of-its-tea-business-ekaterra/, Unilever announces completion of the sale of its Tea business, ekaterra, to CVC Capital Partners Fund VIII, 1 July 2022, unilever.com, In December 2023, Unilever announced the company would sell Elida Beauty to Yellow Wood Partners, a private equity firm in the United States.WEB, 18 December 2023, Unilever to sell Q-Tips maker Elida Beauty to Yellow Wood,www.reuters.com/markets/deals/unilever-sell-elida-beauty-yellow-wood-2023-12-18/, 18 December 2023, Reuters, In March 2024, Unilever announced plans to spin off its ice cream unit, which makes among others, brands such as Magnum and Ben & Jerry’s, into a standalone business starting in March 2024 and planned to complete by the end of 2025.WEB, 2024-03-19, Ben & Jerry’s maker Unilever to spin off ice cream unit, cut 7,500 jobs,finance.yahoo.com/news/ben-jerrys-maker-unilever-spin-072110581.html, 2024-03-19, Yahoo Finance, en-US, The announcement was part of a cost-savings programme that would cut 7,500 jobs.NEWS, Ben & Jerry’s maker Unilever to spin off ice cream unit, cut 7,500 jobs,www.reuters.com/markets/deals/unilever-spin-off-ben-jerrys-unit-launches-cost-savings-plan-2024-03-19/,

Corporate operations

Legal structure

(File:Unilever Head Office Building Rotterdam.jpg|thumb|right|150px|Former head office building of Unilever N.V. which now became the HQ for the merged group’s food and refreshments division, Rotterdam)Unilever has a holding company Unilever PLC and N.V. with Anglo-Dutch structure, which has its registered office at Port Sunlight in Merseyside, United Kingdom and its head office at Unilever House in London, United Kingdom.WEB,www.unilever.com/images/The-Governance-of-Unilever-10-01-12_tcm13-216301.pdf, Governance of Unilever â€“ 1 January 2012, 9 April 2012, Unilever, dead,www.unilever.com/images/The-Governance-of-Unilever-10-01-12_tcm13-216301.pdf," title="web.archive.org/web/20121030193248www.unilever.com/images/The-Governance-of-Unilever-10-01-12_tcm13-216301.pdf,">web.archive.org/web/20121030193248www.unilever.com/images/The-Governance-of-Unilever-10-01-12_tcm13-216301.pdf, 30 October 2012, The company has been restructured several times, for example in 2018 and 2020 (see “history“).In 2018, Unilever announced its intention to simplify this structure by centralising the duality of legal entities and keeping just one headquarters in Rotterdam, abandoning the London head office. Business groups and staff would have been unaffected, as would the dual listing.NEWS,www.independent.co.uk/news/business/news/unilever-moves-headquarters-rotterdam-london-brexit-100-years-a8256736.html, Unilever, Britain’s third-biggest company, moves headquarters to Rotterdam after 100 years in London, 15 March 2018, The Independent, 15 March 2018, en-GB, 10 December 2020,web.archive.org/web/20201210075753/https://www.independent.co.uk/news/business/news/unilever-moves-headquarters-rotterdam-london-brexit-100-years-a8256736.html, live, On 5 October 2018 the group announced it would cancel the restructuring due to concern that the United Kingdom shareholders would lose value if the company fell out of the London FTSE100.NEWS,www.ft.com/content/7c1cabf4-c864-11e8-ba8f-ee390057b8c9, Unilever backs down on plan to move headquarters from UK, Abboud, Leila, 5 October 2018, Financial Times, 6 October 2018, 9 November 2020,web.archive.org/web/20201109035757/https://www.ft.com/content/7c1cabf4-c864-11e8-ba8f-ee390057b8c9, live, NEWS,money.cnn.com/2018/03/15/investing/unilever-uk-brexit-headquarters-london-rotterdam/index.html, Ben & Jerry’s owner picks Netherlands for HQ in snub to London, CNN Money, 17 March 2018, 15 March 2018, 12 April 2019,web.archive.org/web/20190412104914/https://money.cnn.com/2018/03/15/investing/unilever-uk-brexit-headquarters-london-rotterdam/index.html, live, A shareholder vote was planned to decide for the listing of a new Unilever Dutch entity, which would have seen Unilever dropping out of the FTSE 100 Index.NEWS,www.reuters.com/article/us-unilever-structure/unilever-details-plans-for-december-listing-of-new-dutch-entity-idUSKCN1LR0GW, Unilever details plans for December listing of new Dutch entity, Geller, Martinne, 11 September 2018, Reuters, 24 September 2018, 24 September 2018,web.archive.org/web/20180924145621/https://www.reuters.com/article/us-unilever-structure/unilever-details-plans-for-december-listing-of-new-dutch-entity-idUSKCN1LR0GW, live, When it appeared that the vote would fail, due to uncertainty over the Netherlands dividend tax, the scheme was cancelled on 5 October 2018.NEWS,www.marketwatch.com/story/unilever-drops-plan-to-leave-london-2018-10-05, Unilever drops plan to leave London, 5 October 2018, MarketWatch, 11 March 2019, 5 October 2018,web.archive.org/web/20181005132142/https://www.marketwatch.com/story/unilever-drops-plan-to-leave-london-2018-10-05, live, In October 2018, it acquiredNEWS,www.unilever.com/news/press-releases/2018/unilever-closes-acquisition-of-75-percent-stake-in-equilibra.html, Unilever closes acquisition of 75% stake in Equilibra, Unilever global company website, 22 October 2018, en, 24 October 2020,web.archive.org/web/20201024153225/https://www.unilever.com/news/press-releases/2018/unilever-closes-acquisition-of-75-percent-stake-in-equilibra.html, live, a 75% stake in the Italian personal-care business EquilibraNEWS,www.unilever.com/news/press-releases/2018/unilever-to-acquire-seventy-five-percent-of-italian-personal-care-business-equilibra.html, Unilever to acquire 75% of Italian personal care business Equilibra, Unilever global company website, 22 October 2018, en, 23 September 2020,web.archive.org/web/20200923043708/https://www.unilever.com/news/press-releases/2018/unilever-to-acquire-seventy-five-percent-of-italian-personal-care-business-equilibra.html, live, and acquired the high-end, eco-friendly laundry and household cleaning products company The Laundress for an undisclosed sum.MAGAZINE,www.fastcompany.com/90298157/exclusive-laundress-founders-gwen-whiting-and-lindsey-boyd-on-why-they-sold-to-unilever, Exclusive: The Laundress founders come clean about why they sold to Unilever, Segran, Elizabeth, 29 January 2019, Fast Company, en-US, 30 March 2019, 27 October 2020,web.archive.org/web/20201027101111/https://www.fastcompany.com/90298157/exclusive-laundress-founders-gwen-whiting-and-lindsey-boyd-on-why-they-sold-to-unilever, live, In 2018, UK recruitment website Indeed, named Unilever as the United Kingdom’s ninth best private sector employerNEWS,www.cnbc.com/2018/10/22/apple-named-best-private-sector-employer-in-the-uk.html, Apple named best private sector employer in the UK, Taylor, Chloe, 22 October 2018, CNBC, 25 October 2018, 9 November 2020,web.archive.org/web/20201109012738/https://www.cnbc.com/2018/10/22/apple-named-best-private-sector-employer-in-the-uk.html, live, based on millions of employee ratings and reviews.NEWS,blog.indeed.co.uk/2018/10/22/top-rated-workplaces-private-sector/, Top-Rated Workplaces: Best in the Private Sector â€“ Indeed Blog, 22 October 2018, Indeed Blog, 25 October 2018, en-GB, 27 September 2020,blog.indeed.co.uk/2018/10/22/top-rated-workplaces-private-sector/," title="web.archive.org/web/20200927121752blog.indeed.co.uk/2018/10/22/top-rated-workplaces-private-sector/,">web.archive.org/web/20200927121752blog.indeed.co.uk/2018/10/22/top-rated-workplaces-private-sector/, live, In 2020, Unilever announced it has reviewed its corporate structure again and that the company was to merge Unilever N.V. into Unilever PC forming one holding company to be based in the United Kingdom.NEWS,www.relocatemagazine.com/news/property-unilever-opts-for-single-hq-in-london-0620-dsapsted, Unilever opts for single HQ in London, Relocate Magazine, 24 July 2020, 19 November 2020,web.archive.org/web/20201119094610/https://www.relocatemagazine.com/news/property-unilever-opts-for-single-hq-in-london-0620-dsapsted, live, However, a Dutch ‘exit tax’ plan would require Unilever to reconsider this unification.NEWS,www.reuters.com/article/us-unilever-unification-idUSKBN25Z34I, Unilever CEO expects shareholder support for UK HQ move, 8 September 2020, Reuters, 26 September 2020, 8 November 2020,web.archive.org/web/20201108032828/https://www.reuters.com/article/us-unilever-unification-idUSKBN25Z34I, live, WEB,www.sharesmagazine.co.uk/news/market/7116260/, 30 Nov 2020 00:14 | Shares Magazine, sharesmagazine.co.uk, 18 October 2020, 14 December 2020,web.archive.org/web/20201214041131/https://www.sharesmagazine.co.uk/news/market/7116260/, live, In September 2020 Unilever’s Dutch arm shareholders overwhelmingly voted for the N.V. to merge into the PLC.NEWS, Nilsson, Patricia, Unilever wins Dutch backing for London move,www.ft.com/content/0f3930f1-8a93-4f90-aa09-4a70696e2177, Financial Times, 15 October 2020, 31 October 2020,web.archive.org/web/20201031120709/https://www.ft.com/content/0f3930f1-8a93-4f90-aa09-4a70696e2177, live, In October 2020 Unilever announced that 99 per cent of shareholders in its UK arm agreed with the merger, i.e., voted to base the group in London.NEWS, Nilsson, Patricia, Unilever’s London-base move approved by shareholders,www.ft.com/content/778716fd-ce5d-4bff-8706-43df5ae2687b, Financial Times, 15 October 2020, 25 October 2020,web.archive.org/web/20201025223701/https://www.ft.com/content/778716fd-ce5d-4bff-8706-43df5ae2687b, live, WEB,www.unilever.com/Images/unification-of-unilevers-corporate-structure-court-approval_tcm244-556101_en.pdf, Unification of Unilever’s Corporate Structure â€“ Court Approval, Unilever, 29 November 2020, 14 December 2020,web.archive.org/web/20201214040640/https://www.unilever.com/Images/unification-of-unilevers-corporate-structure-court-approval_tcm244-556101_en.pdf, live, NEWS,www.irishtimes.com/business/agribusiness-and-food/unilever-s-dutch-and-british-arms-merge-after-90-years-ahead-of-brexit-1.4421301, Unilever’s Dutch and British arms merge after 90 years ahead of Brexit, The Irish Times, 30 November 2020, 28 November 2020,web.archive.org/web/20201128233748/https://www.irishtimes.com/business/agribusiness-and-food/unilever-s-dutch-and-british-arms-merge-after-90-years-ahead-of-brexit-1.4421301, live, The completion of the unification was announced on 30 November 2020. Since then there is one class of shares.NEWS,www.standard.co.uk/business/unilever-unification-completion-london-b114027.html, ‘An important day’: Unilever announces completion of unification plans, Evening Standard, 30 November 2020, 30 November 2020, 30 November 2020,web.archive.org/web/20201130110257/https://www.standard.co.uk/business/unilever-unification-completion-london-b114027.html, live,

Senior management

In January 2019, Alan Jope succeeded Paul Polman as the chief executive officer.NEWS,www.independent.ie/world-news/unilever-boss-paul-polman-steps-down-after-10-years-37577160.html, Unilever boss Paul Polman steps down after 10 years, Key, Alys, 29 November 2018, Irish Independent, 29 November 2018, 8 April 2019,web.archive.org/web/20190408213206/https://www.independent.ie/world-news/unilever-boss-paul-polman-steps-down-after-10-years-37577160.html, live, The chief financial officer, Graeme Pitkethly,NEWS,economictimes.indiatimes.com/industry/cons-products/fmcg/sales-growth-still-behind-historic-levels-unilever-cfo-graeme-pitkethly/articleshow/61158014.cms, Sales growth still behind historic levels: Unilever CFO Graeme Pitkethly, Malviya, Sagar, 21 October 2017, The Economic Times, 15 August 2018, 30 March 2019,web.archive.org/web/20190330194705/https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/industry/cons-products/fmcg/sales-growth-still-behind-historic-levels-unilever-cfo-graeme-pitkethly/articleshow/61158014.cms, live, is executive director. Jope will be proposed as joint executive director at Unilever’s 2019 AGM.WEB,www.unilever.com/about/who-we-are/our-leadership/alan-jope.html, Alan Jope, Unilever global company website, en, 30 March 2019, 21 September 2020,web.archive.org/web/20200921135001/https://www.unilever.com/about/who-we-are/our-leadership/alan-jope.html, dead, Previously, Paul Polman was CEO for ten years, succeeding Patrick Cescau in 2009.NEWS,adage.com/article/news/surprise-move-unilever-names-polman-ceo/130735/, In Surprise Move, Unilever Names Polman CEO, 15 August 2018, en, 15 August 2018,adage.com/article/news/surprise-move-unilever-names-polman-ceo/130735/," title="web.archive.org/web/20180815234120adage.com/article/news/surprise-move-unilever-names-polman-ceo/130735/,">web.archive.org/web/20180815234120adage.com/article/news/surprise-move-unilever-names-polman-ceo/130735/, live, In November 2019, Unilever announced that Nils Andersen would be replacing Chairman Marijn Dekkers, who stepped down after three years in the role.NEWS,uk.reuters.com/article/uk-unilever-chairman-idUKKBN1XN0OZ, Unilever appoints Nils Andersen as chairman, replacing Dekkers, 13 November 2019, Reuters, 13 November 2019, en, 13 November 2019,web.archive.org/web/20191113104457/https://uk.reuters.com/article/uk-unilever-chairman-idUKKBN1XN0OZ, live, In January 2023, it announced Hein Schumacher as its new CEO, effective July 2023.WEB, Unilever names former Heinz exec Schumacher as CEO,www.cnbc.com/2023/01/30/unilever-names-hein-schumacher-as-new-ceo.html, 31 March 2023, CNBC, 30 January 2023, en,

Gallery of global assets

Unilever R&D Centre in Bangalore.jpg|Unilever R&D Centre in Bangalore, IndiaColworth atg.jpg|Unilever R&D Centre in Colworth, United KingdomUnilever research & development, Port Sunlight.jpg|Unilever R&D Centre in Port Sunlight, United KingdomMarco-Polo-Tower & Unilever-Haus 01.jpg|Unilever-Haus in Hamburg, GermanyUnilever Mannheim Seifenfabrik.jpg|Soap factory in Mannheim, Germany

Financial data {| class“wikitable”

Financial data in â‚¬ billionsUNILEVER DIVIDENDE {{!, KGV {{!}} Bilanz {{!}} Umsatz {{!}} Gewinn|url=https://www.boerse.de/fundamental-analyse/Unilever-Aktie/NL0000388619|access-date=28 December 2020|website=boerse.de|language=de|archive-date=14 April 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210414074805www.boerse.de/fundamental-analyse/Unilever-Aktie/NL0000388619|url-status=live}}!Year!2011!2012!2013!2014!2015!2016!2017!2018!2019!2020!2021!2022!2023

Operations

The three markets of the United States, China and India account for over one third of turnover.WEB, Annual Report 2021,www.unilever.com/files/92ui5egz/production/e582e46a7f7170fd10be32cf65113b738f19f0c2.pdf, 27 July 2022, Thirteen brands account for over half of sales.

Branding and advertising

Unilever’s largest international competitors are NestlÃ© and Procter & Gamble.NEWS,www.usatoday.com/money/economy/2008-09-04-2803687966_x.htm, Unilever: Nestle executive to take CEO job, 9 April 2012, USA Today, 4 September 2008, Toby, Sterling, 9 March 2022,web.archive.org/web/20220309201100/https://usatoday30.usatoday.com/money/economy/2008-09-04-2803687966_x.htm, live,

Logo

In 1930, the logo of Unilever was in a sans-serif typeface and all-caps. The current Unilever corporate logo was introduced in 2004 and was designed by Wolff Olins, a brand consultancy agency. The ‘U’ shape is now made up of 25 distinct symbols, each icon representing one of the company’s sub-brands or its corporate values.NEWS,www.logodesignlove.com/unilever-icons, Unilever icons explained, Logo Design Love, Logodesignlove.com, 1 December 2011, 10 February 2013, 11 February 2013,www.logodesignlove.com/unilever-icons," title="web.archive.org/web/20130211083416www.logodesignlove.com/unilever-icons,">web.archive.org/web/20130211083416www.logodesignlove.com/unilever-icons, live, Airey, David, The brand identity was developed around the idea of “adding vitality to life”.WEB,www.wolffolins.com/work/unilever, Unilever case study, Wolff Olins, 10 February 2013, 8 November 2012,www.wolffolins.com/work/unilever," title="web.archive.org/web/20121108213704www.wolffolins.com/work/unilever,">web.archive.org/web/20121108213704www.wolffolins.com/work/unilever, live,

Brands

Dove

(File:Dove Shampoo and Acondicionador.jpg|thumb|Dove shampoo and conditioner)Dove describes itself as being dedicated to “help ... women develop a positive relationship with the way they look â€“ helping them raise their self-esteem and realize their full potential”.WEB,www.mydove.com.au/en/Our-Mission/Our-Vision/default.aspx, Our Vision, mydove.com.au, 21 March 2015, dead,www.mydove.com.au/en/Our-Mission/Our-Vision/default.aspx," title="web.archive.org/web/20150228221735www.mydove.com.au/en/Our-Mission/Our-Vision/default.aspx,">web.archive.org/web/20150228221735www.mydove.com.au/en/Our-Mission/Our-Vision/default.aspx, 28 February 2015, Dove uses advertising to display messages of positive self-esteem. In September 2004 Dove created a Real Beauty campaign,NEWS, 29 July 2004, ‘Real women’ ad sets new trend, en-GB,news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/3936887.stm, 14 July 2020, 9 August 2020,news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/3936887.stm," title="web.archive.org/web/20200809160921news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/3936887.stm,">web.archive.org/web/20200809160921news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/3936887.stm, live, focusing predominately on women of all shapes and colour. Later in 2007, this campaign furthered itself to include women of all ages. This campaign consisted mostly of advertisements, shown on television and popularised by the internet. Dove fell under scrutiny from the general public as they felt the Dove advertisements described the opinion that cellulite was still unsightly and that women’s aging process was something for which to be ashamed.WEB,www.wimnonline.org/articles/dovebacklash.html, WIMN â€“ Dove’s “Real Beauty” Backlash, wimnonline.org, 21 March 2015, 12 November 2020,www.wimnonline.org/articles/dovebacklash.html," title="web.archive.org/web/20201112023522www.wimnonline.org/articles/dovebacklash.html,">web.archive.org/web/20201112023522www.wimnonline.org/articles/dovebacklash.html, live,

Lynx/Axe

Axe, known as Lynx in the United Kingdom, the Republic of Ireland, Australia and New Zealand, is a toiletries brand marketed towards young men between the ages of 16 and 24.NEWS,www.theguardian.com/media/2000/nov/20/marketingandpr, Lynx marketing campaign, Claire Cozens, The Guardian, 21 March 2015, 9 August 2020,web.archive.org/web/20200809161055/https://www.theguardian.com/media/2000/nov/20/marketingandpr, live, Its marketing is a “tongue-in-cheek take on the ‘mating game{{’“}}, suggesting that women are instantly drawn to men who use the products.NEWS, ‘Offensive’ Lynx adverts banned by advertising watchdog,www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-15849142, 22 February 2017, BBC News, 23 November 2011, 19 March 2017,www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-15849142," title="web.archive.org/web/20170319234159www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-15849142,">web.archive.org/web/20170319234159www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-15849142, live, NEWS, Rodionova, Zlata, Unilever, the owner of Magnum and Lynx, vows to end gender stereotyping in its adverts,www.independent.co.uk/news/business/news/uniliver-the-owner-of-magnum-and-lynx-vows-to-end-gender-stereotyping-in-its-adverts-a7097686.html, 22 February 2017, The Independent, 23 June 2016, 23 February 2017,www.independent.co.uk/news/business/news/uniliver-the-owner-of-magnum-and-lynx-vows-to-end-gender-stereotyping-in-its-adverts-a7097686.html," title="web.archive.org/web/20170223131307www.independent.co.uk/news/business/news/uniliver-the-owner-of-magnum-and-lynx-vows-to-end-gender-stereotyping-in-its-adverts-a7097686.html,">web.archive.org/web/20170223131307www.independent.co.uk/news/business/news/uniliver-the-owner-of-magnum-and-lynx-vows-to-end-gender-stereotyping-in-its-adverts-a7097686.html, live, Unlike Dove’s long-running beauty campaign, Lynx advertising often creates mini-series of advertisements based around a singular product rather than communicating an overarching idea. Using images the company knows it will receive complaints garners the brand more free publicity and notoriety, often through controversy. A wide variety of these adverts have been banned in countries around the world. In 2012, Lynx’s ‘Clean Balls’ advert was banned. In 2011, in the United Kingdom, Lynx’s shower gel campaign was banned.WEB, ASA Ruling on Unilever UK Ltd,www.asa.org.uk/Rulings/Adjudications/2011/11/Unilever-UK-Ltd/SHP_ADJ_166988.aspx, Advertising Standards Authority (United Kingdom), Advertising Standards Authority, 22 February 2017, 23 November 2011, 23 February 2017,web.archive.org/web/20170223213533/https://www.asa.org.uk/Rulings/Adjudications/2011/11/Unilever-UK-Ltd/SHP_ADJ_166988.aspx, live, Both advertising campaigns make stark comparisons between how women and their sexuality are portrayed in advertising and sales efficiency. Lynx commonly portrays women as hypersexual, flawless and stereotypically attractive who are aroused by men, of all ages and stature, because of their use of the Lynx product.

Social media advertising

On 26 June 2020, Unilever said it would halt advertising to U.S. customers on social media giants Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter until at least the end of 2020 following a campaign started by various American civil-rights groups, such as the Anti-Defamation League and the NAACP, protesting Facebook’s policies on hate speech and misinformation named “Stop Hate For Profit”.NEWS, Patel, Sahil, 17 December 2020, Unilever Says It Will Resume Advertising on Facebook in U.S., en-US, The Wall Street Journal,www.wsj.com/articles/unilever-says-it-will-resume-advertising-on-facebook-in-u-s-11608245092, subscription, 25 December 2020, 0099-9660, 24 December 2020,web.archive.org/web/20201224233256/https://www.wsj.com/articles/unilever-says-it-will-resume-advertising-on-facebook-in-u-s-11608245092, live, WEB, Stop Hate for Profit,www.stophateforprofit.org/, 25 December 2020, stophateforprofit.org, en, 17 June 2020,web.archive.org/web/20200617204533/https://www.stophateforprofit.org/, live, However, Unilever did not formally sign on to the campaign. The company cited their “Responsibility Framework and the polarized atmosphere in the U.S.” and said that “continuing to advertise on these platforms at this time would not add value to people and society”.NEWS, Fung, Brian, 26 June 2020, Facebook and Twitter stocks dive as Unilever halts advertising,www.cnn.com/2020/06/26/tech/facebook-twitter-stock-unilever/index.html, 26 June 2020, CNN, 24 November 2020,web.archive.org/web/20201124005934/https://www.cnn.com/2020/06/26/tech/facebook-twitter-stock-unilever/index.html, live, Later that year in December, Unilever revealed it would resume advertising on Facebook and its affiliated platforms, stating that Facebook had made enough progress in changing their management to continue advertising with them. Executive vice president of global media for the company, Luis Di Como, released a clarifying statement: “We are encouraged by the commitments the platforms are making to build healthier environments for consumers, brands and society in alignment with the principles of the Global Alliance for Responsible Media. This is why we plan to end our social media investment pause in the U.S. in January. We will continue to reassess our position as necessary.”

Corporate sponsorship

From 2000 to 2012 Unilever sponsored the Turbine Hall commissions at Tate Modern, which became known as The Unilever Series.WEB, Tate, The Unilever Series {{!, Tate Modern |url=https://www.tate.org.uk/whats-on/tate-modern/unilever-series |access-date=10 April 2023 |website=Tate |language=en-GB}}

Environmental record

Mercury contamination

In 2001, a mercury thermometer factory operated by the Indian subsidiary of Unilever in the South Indian hilltown of Kodaikanal was shut down by state regulators after the company was caught dumping toxic mercury wastes in a densely populated part of town.BOOK, Eade, Deborah,books.google.com/books?id=jS-kRbWjeWwC&q=unilever+subsidiary+mercury+thermometer+2001&pg=PA84, Development and the Private Sector: Consuming Interests, Sayer, John, 2006, Kumarian Press, 978-1-56549-218-9, en, 7 November 2020, 14 April 2021,web.archive.org/web/20210414052638/https://books.google.com/books?id=jS-kRbWjeWwC&q=unilever+subsidiary+mercury+thermometer+2001&pg=PA84, live, By the company’s own admissions, more than 2 tonnes of mercury were discharged into Kodaikanal’s environment. A 2011 Government of India study on workers’ health concluded that many workers suffered from illnesses caused by workplace exposure to mercury. The scandal opened up a series of issues in India such as corporate liability, corporate accountability and corporate negligence.WEB,kodaimercury.org/final-report-of-the-goi-committee/, Final Report of the GOI Committee, Government of India, 9 November 2011, 11 March 2019, 9 August 2020,kodaimercury.org/final-report-of-the-goi-committee/," title="web.archive.org/web/20200809163443kodaimercury.org/final-report-of-the-goi-committee/,">web.archive.org/web/20200809163443kodaimercury.org/final-report-of-the-goi-committee/, live, In March 2016, Unilever reached an out of court settlement (for an undisclosed amount) with 591 ex-workers of the unit who had sued the company for knowingly exposing them to the toxic element.NEWS,www.washingtonpost.com/news/worldviews/wp/2016/03/09/after-15-years-unilever-settles-with-indian-factory-workers-over-mercury-poisoning/?noredirect=on, After 15 years Unilever settles with Indian factory workers over mercury poisoning, 19 March 2016, The Washington Post, 11 March 2019, 9 March 2022,web.archive.org/web/20220309201112/https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/worldviews/wp/2016/03/09/after-15-years-unilever-settles-with-indian-factory-workers-over-mercury-poisoning/?noredirect=on, live,

Palm oil

In 2014, Unilever was criticised by Greenpeace for causing deforestation.WEB,www.greenpeace.org.uk/media/press-releases/unilever-admits-toxic-dumping-will-clean-up-but-not-come-clean, Greenpeace, Unilever admits toxic dumping: will clean up but not come clean, 7 May 2014, dead,www.greenpeace.org.uk/media/press-releases/unilever-admits-toxic-dumping-will-clean-up-but-not-come-clean," title="web.archive.org/web/20140508042719www.greenpeace.org.uk/media/press-releases/unilever-admits-toxic-dumping-will-clean-up-but-not-come-clean,">web.archive.org/web/20140508042719www.greenpeace.org.uk/media/press-releases/unilever-admits-toxic-dumping-will-clean-up-but-not-come-clean, 8 May 2014, In 2008, Greenpeace UKNEWS,news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/7358071.stm, Ape protest at Unilever factory, BBC, 23 March 2008, 24 April 2008,news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/7358071.stm," title="web.archive.org/web/20080424231140news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/7358071.stm,">web.archive.org/web/20080424231140news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/7358071.stm, live, criticised the company for buying palm oil from suppliers that were damaging Indonesia’s rainforests.WEB, Palm Oil: Cooking the Climate,www.greenpeace.org/international/en/news/features/palm-oil_cooking-the-climate/, Greenpeace, 9 April 2013, 20 May 2013,www.greenpeace.org/international/en/news/features/palm-oil_cooking-the-climate/," title="web.archive.org/web/20130520154006www.greenpeace.org/international/en/news/features/palm-oil_cooking-the-climate/,">web.archive.org/web/20130520154006www.greenpeace.org/international/en/news/features/palm-oil_cooking-the-climate/, live, By 2008, Indonesia was losing 2% of its remaining rainforest each year, having the fastest deforestation rate of any country. The United Nations Environmental Programme stated that palm oil plantations are the leading cause of deforestation in Indonesia.Furthermore, Indonesia was the 14thWEB,edgar.jrc.ec.europa.eu/overview.php?v=CO2ts1990-2014&sort=des9, EDGAR â€“ GHG (CO2, CH4, N2O, F-gases) emission time series 1990â€“2012 per region/country, European Commission, 21 November 2016, 8 December 2015,edgar.jrc.ec.europa.eu/overview.php?v=CO2ts1990-2014&sort=des9," title="web.archive.org/web/20151208125157edgar.jrc.ec.europa.eu/overview.php?v=CO2ts1990-2014&sort=des9,">web.archive.org/web/20151208125157edgar.jrc.ec.europa.eu/overview.php?v=CO2ts1990-2014&sort=des9, dead, largest emitter of greenhouse gases, largely due to the destruction of rainforests for the palm oil industry, which contributed to 4% of global green house gas emissions.WEB, How Unilever Palm Oil Suppliers are Burning Up Borneo,www.greenpeace.org/international/Global/international/planet-2/report/2009/10/how-unilever-palm-oil-supplier.pdf, Greenpeace International, 10 April 2013, 4 January 2014,www.greenpeace.org/international/Global/international/planet-2/report/2009/10/how-unilever-palm-oil-supplier.pdf," title="web.archive.org/web/20140104105214www.greenpeace.org/international/Global/international/planet-2/report/2009/10/how-unilever-palm-oil-supplier.pdf,">web.archive.org/web/20140104105214www.greenpeace.org/international/Global/international/planet-2/report/2009/10/how-unilever-palm-oil-supplier.pdf, live, According to Greenpeace, palm oil expansion was taking place with little oversight from central or local government as procedures for environmental impact assessment, land-use planning and ensuring a proper process for development of concessions were neglected. Plantations that were off-limits, by law, for palm oil plantations were being established as well as the illegal use of fire to clear forest areas was commonplace.Unilever, as a founding member of the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO), responded by publicising its plan to obtain all of its palm oil from sources that are certified as sustainable by 2015.WEB,www.unilever.com/mediacentre/pressreleases/2008/Unilevercommitstocertifiedsustainablepalmoil.aspx, Unilever commits to certified sustainable palm oil | Unilever Global, Unilever.com, 29 August 2012, 26 October 2012, 21 February 2013,unilever.com/mediacentre/pressreleases/2008/Unilevercommitstocertifiedsustainablepalmoil.aspx," title="web.archive.org/web/20130221230911unilever.com/mediacentre/pressreleases/2008/Unilevercommitstocertifiedsustainablepalmoil.aspx,">web.archive.org/web/20130221230911unilever.com/mediacentre/pressreleases/2008/Unilevercommitstocertifiedsustainablepalmoil.aspx, dead, It claims to have met this goal in 2012 and is encouraging the rest of the industry to become 100% sustainable by 2020.WEB,www.unilever.com/Images/palm-oil-sourcing-position-statement_tcm244-423162_1.pdf, Unilever’s Position on Palm Oil Sourcing, 7 August 2015, dead,web.archive.org/web/20150918215250/https://www.unilever.com/Images/palm-oil-sourcing-position-statement_tcm244-423162_1.pdf, 18 September 2015, dmy-all, In CÃ´te d’Ivoire, one of Unilever’s palm oil suppliers was accused of clearing forest for plantations, an activity that threatened a primate species, Miss Waldron’s red colobus. Unilever intervened to halt the clearances pending the results of an environmental assessment.WEB,www.manifeste-fmt.org/updates.php, Manifesto for the Conservation of the TanoÃ© Swamps Forest, 19 July 2008, dead,www.manifeste-fmt.org/updates.php," title="web.archive.org/web/20081121162000www.manifeste-fmt.org/updates.php,">web.archive.org/web/20081121162000www.manifeste-fmt.org/updates.php, 21 November 2008, dmy-all, According to an Amnesty International report published in 2016, Unilever’s palm oil supplier Wilmar International profited from child labour and forced labour. Some workers were extorted, threatened or not paid for work. Some workers suffered severe injuries from banned chemicals. In 2016 Singapore-based Wilmar International was the world’s biggest palm oil grower.The great palm oil scandal: Labour abuses behind big brand names {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180423210624www.amnesty.org/en/documents/asa21/5184/2016/en/ |date=23 April 2018 }} Amnesty International 30 November 2016

Plastic pollution

In 2019, Unilever was cited by BreakFreeFromPlastic as one of the top ten global plastic polluters.MAGAZINE,www.fastcompany.com/90425011/coca-cola-nestle-and-pepsico-are-the-worlds-biggest-plastic-polluters-again, Coca-Cola, NestlÃ©, and PepsiCo are the world’s biggest plastic polluters â€“ again, Segran, Elizabeth, 1 November 2019, Fast Company, en-US, 17 February 2020, 8 February 2020,web.archive.org/web/20200208145659/https://www.fastcompany.com/90425011/coca-cola-nestle-and-pepsico-are-the-worlds-biggest-plastic-polluters-again, live, Unilever produces 6.4 billion unrecyclable plastic sachets per year.WEB, Unilever slammed for breaking plastics pledge in Greenpeace report,cosmeticsbusiness.com/unilever-slammed-for-breaking-plastics-pledge-in-greenpeace, 2024-03-29, cosmeticsbusiness.com, en, WEB, Underwood, Kate, 2023-11-30, Unilever Sells 1,700 Single-Use Product Pouches Every Second, Ignoring Plastic Reduction Pledge,www.greenmatters.com/news/unilever-ignores-plastic-pledge, 2024-03-29, Green Matters, en-US, Nevertheless, in 2019, Unilever announced that it plans to halve its non-recycled plastic packaging by 2025.NEWS,www.npr.org/2019/10/07/767983664/unilever-vows-to-reduce-plastic-packaging-use-by-2025, Unilever plans to halve its non-recycled plastic packaging by 2025., NPR, 7 October 2019, 31 December 2020, 14 April 2021,web.archive.org/web/20210414045025/https://www.npr.org/2019/10/07/767983664/unilever-vows-to-reduce-plastic-packaging-use-by-2025, live, NEWS,www.cnbc.com/2019/10/07/unilever-says-it-wants-to-halve-its-use-of-virgin-plastic-by-2025.html, Unilever says it wants to halve its use of ‘virgin’ plastic by 2025, CNBC, 7 October 2019, 31 December 2020, 18 February 2021,web.archive.org/web/20210218205811/https://www.cnbc.com/2019/10/07/unilever-says-it-wants-to-halve-its-use-of-virgin-plastic-by-2025.html, live, In 2020, Unilever joined 13 EU member states and more than 60 companies to sign a pact to use recycled plastic for all plastic packaging and single-use plastic products by 2025.NEWS,news.bloomberglaw.com/environment-and-energy/nestle-unilever-join-eu-nations-on-voluntary-plastic-recycling, Nestle, Unilever Join EU Nations on Voluntary Plastic Recycling, Bloomberg Law, 6 March 2020, 31 December 2020, 14 April 2021,web.archive.org/web/20210414050717/https://news.bloomberglaw.com/environment-and-energy/nestle-unilever-join-eu-nations-on-voluntary-plastic-recycling, live, In June 2022, a Reuters report revealed that Unilever had lobbied the governments of India and the Philippines to stop legislation which would ban the sale of cosmetics in single-use plastic sachets, despite vowing in 2020 to stop using them.WEB, Brock, Joe, Geddie, John, 22 June 2022, Unilever’s Plastic Playbook,www.reuters.com/investigates/special-report/global-plastic-unilever/, 23 June 2022, Reuters, The design of these sachets had been called ‘evil’ by Hanneke Faber, Unilever’s president for Global Food and Refreshments, ‘because you cannot recycle it’. The bans were then dropped by lawmakers. In Sri Lanka, the company pressed the government to reconsider a proposed ban on sachets, and then tried to manoeuvre around the ban after regulations were implemented.

Rainforest Alliance

Unilever certifies its tea products by the Rainforest Alliance scheme. The company has stated that at least 50% of the tea in its products originates from certified farms, compared to the Alliance’s 30% minimum entry point. Unilever decided on the scheme over Fairtrade, because according to the company’s analysis, Fairtrade might “lack the scale and the organizational flexibility to certify industrial tea estates”.WEB, Unilever sustainable tea Part 1: Leapfrogging to mainstream, 15 March 2011,saiplatform.org/uploads/Modules/Library/imd-casestudyunileversustainabletea.pdf, 12 August 2017,www.saiplatform.org/uploads/Modules/Library/imd-casestudyunileversustainabletea.pdf," title="web.archive.org/web/20170812082730www.saiplatform.org/uploads/Modules/Library/imd-casestudyunileversustainabletea.pdf,">web.archive.org/web/20170812082730www.saiplatform.org/uploads/Modules/Library/imd-casestudyunileversustainabletea.pdf, live, The Rainforest Alliance certification scheme has been criticised for not offering producers minimum or guaranteed price,Ethical Corporation (January 2005). www.fta.org.au/files/20052145553_Bean_Wars.pdf" title="web.archive.org/web/20080720191930www.fta.org.au/files/20052145553_Bean_Wars.pdf">Bean Wars. Retrieved 20 July 2008. therefore, leaving them vulnerable to market price variations. The alternative certificate, Fairtrade, has received similar criticism. The Rainforest Alliance certification has furthermore been criticised for allowing the use of the seal on products that contain only a minimum of 30% of certified content, which according to some endangers the integrity of the certification.WEB,www.transfairusa.org/content/about/board.php, TransFair USA | Board Members, 27 June 2009, 29 May 2015, dead,www.transfairusa.org/content/about/board.php," title="web.archive.org/web/20110109100107www.transfairusa.org/content/about/board.php,">web.archive.org/web/20110109100107www.transfairusa.org/content/about/board.php, 9 January 2011,

Salmonella contamination

In July 2016, rumours about salmonella contamination in cereals spread among Israeli consumers.NEWS,www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4834118,00.html, Where have all the cornflakes gone?, ynet, 28 July 2016, en, 31 August 2016, 31 August 2016,www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4834118,00.html," title="web.archive.org/web/20160831124027www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4834118,00.html,">web.archive.org/web/20160831124027www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4834118,00.html, live, Initially, Unilever did not provide public information about the subject and queries on the matter were rebuffed by the company as a non-story and nonsense. On 26 July 2016, Unilever had stopped transferring cornflakes to retailer chains.JOURNAL,www.themarker.com/advertising/1.3020532, ×ž×” ×’×¨× ×œ×™×•× ×™×œ×™×•×•×¨ ×œ×¢×¦×•×¨ ××ª ×©×™×•×•×§×Ÿ ×©×œ ××œ×¤×™ ××¨×™×–×•×ª ×“×’× ×™ ×‘×•×§×¨?, ×¢×“×™, ×“×‘×¨×ª-×ž×–×¨×™×¥, 27 July 2016, 9 November 2016, TheMarker, 22 September 2016,www.themarker.com/advertising/1.3020532," title="web.archive.org/web/20160922053124www.themarker.com/advertising/1.3020532,">web.archive.org/web/20160922053124www.themarker.com/advertising/1.3020532, live, On 28 July, Yedioth Ahronoth reported tens of thousands of boxes of breakfast cereal had been destroyed.NEWS,www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/215664, Arutz Sheva, Contamination feared in Israeli cornflakes, 28 July 2016, 1 August 2016, 31 July 2016,www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/215664," title="web.archive.org/web/20160731092646www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/215664,">web.archive.org/web/20160731092646www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/215664, live, By 28 July, despite the company’s assurances that nothing contaminated was released for consumption, many customers stopped buying Unilever products and started to throw away all cornflakes made by Unilever.NEWS,www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4834457,00.html, Salmonella in cornflakes: ‘I don’t trust Unilever products anymore’, ynetnews, 28 July 2016, 1 August 2016, 1 August 2016,www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4834457,00.html," title="web.archive.org/web/20160801065803www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4834457,00.html,">web.archive.org/web/20160801065803www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4834457,00.html, live, The company withheld information about the affected production dates.MAGAZINE,www.themarker.com/advertising/1.3024608, ×”×–×™×”×•× ×‘×§×•×¨× ×¤×œ×§×¡: ×™×•× ×™×œ×™×•×•×¨ ×ž×¡×¨×‘×ª ×œ×—×©×•×£ ×ª××¨×™×›×™ ×”×™×™×¦×•×¨ ×•×›×ž×” ××œ×™×ž×™× ×”×—×™×™×“×§×™×, ×¢×“×™, ×“×‘×¨×ª-×ž×–×¨×™×¥, ×¦×‘×™, ×–×¨×—×™×”, 1 August 2016, themarker.com, 9 November 2016, TheMarker, 25 October 2016,www.themarker.com/advertising/1.3024608," title="web.archive.org/web/20161025173224www.themarker.com/advertising/1.3024608,">web.archive.org/web/20161025173224www.themarker.com/advertising/1.3024608, live, Unilever had published more information about Telma cereals handled on the packaging line in which the contamination was discovered and that a Telma announcement had been made: “We again stress that all Telma products in the stores and in your homes are safe to eat. According to our company’s strict procedures, every production batch is checked and put on hold. These products are not marketed until test results for this product series are returned, confirming that all is well. If any flaw is discovered, the batch is not marketed to stores, as was the case.“NEWS,www.globes.co.il/en/article-unilever-israel-updates-on-cereal-contamination-1001143437, Unilever Israel updates on cereal contamination, Globes, 9 November 2016, 15 August 2016,www.globes.co.il/en/article-unilever-israel-updates-on-cereal-contamination-1001143437," title="web.archive.org/web/20160815103418www.globes.co.il/en/article-unilever-israel-updates-on-cereal-contamination-1001143437,">web.archive.org/web/20160815103418www.globes.co.il/en/article-unilever-israel-updates-on-cereal-contamination-1001143437, live, In the following days the Health Minister, Yakov Litzman, threatened to pull Unilever’s licence in Israel. He accused Unilever of lying to his ministry regarding salmonella-infected breakfast cereals.NEWS,www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4837833,00.html, Health minister threatens to revoke Unilever’s license after recall, 9 November 2016, 9 November 2016,www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4837833,00.html," title="web.archive.org/web/20161109012159www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4837833,00.html,">web.archive.org/web/20161109012159www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4837833,00.html, live, On 7 August 2016, Globes reported that contamination may be sourced in pigeon faeces, the Health Ministry said that there might be other sources for the contamination and pigeon faeces are not the only possible source. Globes also said that the production line is automatic (“without human hands“) and the possibility that the source is human is a very slim chance.NEWS,www.globes.co.il/news/article.aspx?did=1001144517, ×”×× ×§×•×¨× ×¤×œ×§×¡ ×©×œ ×™×•× ×™×œ×™×•×•×¨ ×‘× ×‘×ž×’×¢ ×¢× ×œ×©×œ×©×ª ×™×•× ×™× ××• ×”×¤×¨×©×•×ª ×¢×•×‘×“?, 8 August 2016, Globes, 7 August 2016, 8 August 2016,www.globes.co.il/news/article.aspx?did=1001144517," title="web.archive.org/web/20160808143118www.globes.co.il/news/article.aspx?did=1001144517,">web.archive.org/web/20160808143118www.globes.co.il/news/article.aspx?did=1001144517, live, On 8 August 2016, the Israeli Health minister suspended a manufacturing license until Unilever carry out several corrections; the action came after an inspection of the Arad plant, stating “This was a series of negligent mistakes and not an incident with malicious intent by the firm’s management and quality control procedures.“NEWS,www.timesofisrael.com/health-ministry-salmonella-tainted-cornflakes-plant-was-negligent/, Unilever has license suspended for selling Salmonella-tainted cornflakes, 8 August 2016, The Times of Israel, 8 August 2016, 8 August 2016,www.timesofisrael.com/health-ministry-salmonella-tainted-cornflakes-plant-was-negligent/," title="web.archive.org/web/20160808145051www.timesofisrael.com/health-ministry-salmonella-tainted-cornflakes-plant-was-negligent/,">web.archive.org/web/20160808145051www.timesofisrael.com/health-ministry-salmonella-tainted-cornflakes-plant-was-negligent/, live, An investigation led by Itamr Grutto and Eli Gordon concluded that the event was caused by negligence.WEB,news.walla.co.il/item/2992992, ×—×©×“ × ×•×¡×£ ×œ×¡×œ×ž×•× ×œ×”: ×¡×¤×§ ×˜×—×™× ×” ×’×“×•×œ ×”×•×“×™×¢ ×¢×œ ×”×—×–×¨×ª ×ž×•×¦×¨×™× â€“ ×•×•××œ×”! ×—×“×©×•×ª, 31 August 2016, 9 November 2016, 5 November 2016,news.walla.co.il/item/2992992," title="web.archive.org/web/20161105141749news.walla.co.il/item/2992992,">web.archive.org/web/20161105141749news.walla.co.il/item/2992992, live, Reportedly the cereals produced between the 18th and 20th at the Arad plant had traces of salmonella.NEWS,www.globes.co.il/news/article.aspx?fbdid=1001153994, ×¡×œ×ž×•× ×œ×” ×‘×ž×¤×¢×œ ×™×•× ×™×œ×™×•×•×¨? ×”×—×‘×¨×”: ×”××¨×™×–×•×ª ×œ× ×™×¦××• ×œ×©×™×•×•×§ â€“ ×’×œ×•×‘×¡, 9 November 2016, 14 December 2020,web.archive.org/web/20201214040744/https://www.globes.co.il/news/article.aspx?fbdid=1001153994, live, Two class actions were filed in Israel, one for a sum of 1.2 million NIS (~$329K USD) against Unilever for hiding the contamination and misleading the public,NEWS,www.ynet.co.il/articles/0,7340,L-4836399,00.html, ×™×™×¦×•×’×™×ª ×¨××©×•× ×” ×‘×¤×¨×©×ª ×”×§×•×¨× ×¤×œ×§×¡: ×¦×¨×›× ×™× ×“×•×¨×©×™× 1.2 ×ž×™×œ×™×•×Ÿ ×©×§×œ ×ž×™×•× ×™×œ×•×•×¨ ×™×©×¨××œ, 2 August 2016, 9 November 2016, Ynet, 5 November 2016,www.ynet.co.il/articles/0,7340,L-4836399,00.html," title="web.archive.org/web/20161105152915www.ynet.co.il/articles/0,7340,L-4836399,00.html,">web.archive.org/web/20161105152915www.ynet.co.il/articles/0,7340,L-4836399,00.html, live, ×œ×•×™, ×–×•×”×¨ ×©×—×¨, and another for a sum of 76 million NIS (~$23m USD) against Unilever after a 15-year-old teen had been hospitalised for Salmonellosis after allegedly contracting it from Unilever products.NEWS,www.globes.co.il/news/article.aspx?did=1001147914, Globes, ×¢×•×“ ×™×™×¦×•×’×™×ª × ×’×“ ×™×•× ×™×œ×™×•×•×¨: “×”×¡×ª×™×¨×” ××ª ×”×¡×œ×ž×•× ×œ×” ×‘×ž×©×š ×™×•×ª×¨ ×ž×—×•×“×©”, 24 August 2016, 24 August 2016, 25 August 2016,www.globes.co.il/news/article.aspx?did=1001147914," title="web.archive.org/web/20160825181033www.globes.co.il/news/article.aspx?did=1001147914,">web.archive.org/web/20160825181033www.globes.co.il/news/article.aspx?did=1001147914, live, On 31 August 2016, Unilever stated that the Tehina products produced by RJM had been contaminated by salmonella.WEB,news.walla.co.il/item/2992992, ×—×©×“ × ×•×¡×£ ×œ×¡×œ×ž×•× ×œ×” ×‘×™×•× ×™×œ×™×•×•×¨: ×¡×¤×§ ×˜×—×™× ×” ×œ×—×‘×¨×” ×”×•×“×™×¢ ×¢×œ ×”×—×–×¨×ª ×ž×•×¦×¨×™×, 31 August 2016, walla, he, 31 August 2016, 1 September 2016,news.walla.co.il/item/2992992," title="web.archive.org/web/20160901144608news.walla.co.il/item/2992992,">web.archive.org/web/20160901144608news.walla.co.il/item/2992992, live,

Controversies

Price-fixing

Hampton Creek lawsuit

In November 2014, Unilever filed a lawsuit against rival Hampton Creek.NEWS,www.washingtonpost.com/news/business/wp/2014/11/10/big-foods-weird-war-over-the-meaning-of-mayonnaise-americas-top-condiment/, Big Food’s weird war over the meaning of mayonnaise, America’s top condiment, Harwell, Drew, 10 November 2014, The Washington Post, 21 June 2018, en-US, 0190-8286, 26 June 2020,web.archive.org/web/20200626183116/https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/business/wp/2014/11/10/big-foods-weird-war-over-the-meaning-of-mayonnaise-americas-top-condiment/, live, In the suit,NEWS, Hampton Creek Plans To Counter-Sue Unilever Over Mayo Fight,techcrunch.com/2014/11/11/hampton-creek-plans-to-counter-sue-unilever-over-mayo-fight/, 14 November 2014, TechCrunch, 13 November 2014,techcrunch.com/2014/11/11/hampton-creek-plans-to-counter-sue-unilever-over-mayo-fight/," title="web.archive.org/web/20141113223417techcrunch.com/2014/11/11/hampton-creek-plans-to-counter-sue-unilever-over-mayo-fight/,">web.archive.org/web/20141113223417techcrunch.com/2014/11/11/hampton-creek-plans-to-counter-sue-unilever-over-mayo-fight/, live, Unilever claimed that Hampton Creek was “seizing market share” and the losses were causing Unilever “irreparable harm”. Unilever used standard of identity regulations in claiming that Hampton Creek’s Just Mayo products are falsely advertised because they don’t contain eggs.NEWS, Hellmann’s Maker Sues Competitor Because Free Markets Are Hard,reason.com/blog/2014/11/11/hellmanns-mayo-sues-competitor-becauseco, 14 November 2014, Reason, 13 November 2014,reason.com/blog/2014/11/11/hellmanns-mayo-sues-competitor-becauseco," title="web.archive.org/web/20141113165535reason.com/blog/2014/11/11/hellmanns-mayo-sues-competitor-becauseco,">web.archive.org/web/20141113165535reason.com/blog/2014/11/11/hellmanns-mayo-sues-competitor-becauseco, live, The Washington PostNEWS, Big Food’s Weird War Over The Meaning Of Mayonnaise, America’s Top Condiment,www.washingtonpost.com/news/business/wp/2014/11/10/big-foods-weird-war-over-the-meaning-of-mayonnaise-americas-top-condiment/, 14 November 2014, The Washington Post, 26 June 2020,web.archive.org/web/20200626183116/https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/business/wp/2014/11/10/big-foods-weird-war-over-the-meaning-of-mayonnaise-americas-top-condiment/, live, headline on the suit read “Big Food’s Weird War Over The Meaning of Mayonnaise.” The Los Angeles TimesNEWS, Vegan Mayonnaise Maker Sued By Food Giant Unilever,www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-just-mayo-20141110-story.html, 14 November 2014, Los Angeles Times, 13 November 2014,www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-just-mayo-20141110-story.html," title="web.archive.org/web/20141113040105www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-just-mayo-20141110-story.html,">web.archive.org/web/20141113040105www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-just-mayo-20141110-story.html, live, began its story with “Big Tobacco, Big Oil, now Big Mayo?” A Wall Street Journal writer described that “Giant corporation generates huge quantities of free advertising and brand equity for tiny rival by suing it.“NEWS, Giant Corporation Generates Huge Quantities of Free Advertising and Brand Equity For Tiny Rival by Suing It,mobile.twitter.com/mims/status/532464851264999424, 14 November 2014, @mims/Twitter, 9 January 2015,web.archive.org/web/20150109091720/https://mobile.twitter.com/mims/status/532464851264999424, live, In December 2014, Unilever dropped the claim.NEWS,fortune.com/2016/09/23/hampton-creek-controversies/, Hampton Creek: The History of a Mayo Startup in 5 Controversies, Fortune, 21 June 2018, en, 21 June 2018,fortune.com/2016/09/23/hampton-creek-controversies/," title="web.archive.org/web/20180621194122fortune.com/2016/09/23/hampton-creek-controversies/,">web.archive.org/web/20180621194122fortune.com/2016/09/23/hampton-creek-controversies/, live,

Pressuring media to promote skin whiteners

Kinita Shenoy, an editor of the Sri Lanka edition of Cosmopolitan, refused to promote skin whiteners for a brand of Unilever. Unilever put pressure on Shenoy and asked Cosmopolitan to fire her.WEB,www.buzzfeednews.com/article/meghara/unilever-sri-lankan-influencers-skin-whiteners, Unilever Pushed Asian Influencers To Promote Skin Whiteners. They Fought Back., BuzzFeed News, 20 July 2020, 24 July 2020, 3 November 2020,web.archive.org/web/20201103064806/https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/meghara/unilever-sri-lankan-influencers-skin-whiteners, live, WEB,www.arretsurimages.net/articles/cremes-blanchissantes-unilever-fait-virer-une-journaliste, CrÃ¨mes blanchissantes : Unilever fait virer une journaliste â€“ Par La rÃ©daction | ArrÃªt sur images, arretsurimages.net, 24 July 2020, 5 September 2020,web.archive.org/web/20200905001423/https://www.arretsurimages.net/articles/cremes-blanchissantes-unilever-fait-virer-une-journaliste, live,

Violence against striking workers

In 2019, security forces hired by Unilever attacked workers that were peacefully picketing at a Unilever facility in Durban in South Africa. Workers were shot at with rubber bullets and paint balls and pepper sprayed while attempting to walk to their cars parked on the premises. Four workers were seriously injured.WEB, Carlile, Clare, Is Unilever still failing to respect its workers rights?,www.ethicalconsumer.org/food-drink/unilever-still-failing-respect-its-workers-rights, Ethical Consumer, 6 December 2021, en, 11 September 2020, 6 December 2021,web.archive.org/web/20211206070632/https://www.ethicalconsumer.org/food-drink/unilever-still-failing-respect-its-workers-rights, live,

Trade in the occupied Palestinian Territories

In July 2021, Ben & Jerry’s announced plans to end sales in “Occupied Palestinian Territory”, within which Israeli settlements are considered illegal under international law, while continuing sales in other parts of Israel.WEB, Hage, Mark, 5 August 2021, We got Ben & Jerry’s to stop selling in Israeli settlements. Here’s how we did it,www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2021/aug/05/ben-jerrys-israel-settlement, The Guardian, 25 August 2021, Prior to the release of the statement, Unilever had clashed with Ben & Jerry’s independent board of directors, which had not wanted to comment on the continuation of sales in other parts of Israel, as this required board approval.WEB, Solon, Olivia, 20 July 2021, Ben & Jerry’s withdraws sales from Israeli settlements but clashes with parent company Unilever,www.nbcnews.com/business/business-news/ben-jerry-s-withdraws-sales-israeli-settlements-clashes-parent-company-n1274403, NBC News, 25 August 2021, Board chair Anuradha Mittalttal said the board had resolved to end sales in Israeli settlements in July 2020, but the CEO, Matthew McCarthy, appointed by Unilever in 2018, “never operationalized” the resolution.In June 2022, Unilever announced that it had sold its Ben & Jerry’s division in Israel to American Quality Products, the company that has the exclusive license to sell Ben & Jerry’s products in Israel and the Palestinian territories.Zilber, Ariel (29 June 2022). “Israel touts victory over ‘anti-Semites’ as Ben & Jerry’s sold to local licensee”. New York Post. The sale of the division to American Quality Products allows it to continue to sell Ben & Jerry’s products in Israel and the Palestinian territories. Later that day, Ben & Jerry’s tweeted that it disagreed with its parent company’s decision and that the “arrangement means Ben & Jerry’s in Israel will be owned and operated by AQP. [...] We continue to believe it is inconsistent with Ben & Jerry’s values for our ice cream to be sold in the Occupied Palestinian Territory.“Zilber, Ariel (30 June 2022). “Ben & Jerry’s slam Unilever’s ice cream sale to Israeli licensee”. New York Post.TWEET, Ben & Jerry’s, benandjerrys, 1542241528470437890, 30 June 2022, We are aware of the Unilever announcement, 22 August 2022,web.archive.org/web/20220629234842/https://twitter.com/benandjerrys/status/1542241528470437890, 29 June 2022, “We are aware of the Unilever announcement. While our parent company has taken this decision, we do not agree with it. Unilever’s arrangement means Ben & Jerry’s in Israel will be owned and operated by AQP. Our company will no longer profit from Ben & Jerry’s in Israel. We continue to believe it is inconsistent with Ben & Jerry’s values for our ice cream to be sold in the Occupied Palestinian Territory.”,

Trade in Russia amid the Russo-Ukrainian War

Following the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, many Western companies curtailed their operations in Russia.WEB, Over 1,000 Companies Have Curtailed Operations in Russiaâ€”But Some Remain,som.yale.edu/story/2022/over-1000-companies-have-curtailed-operations-russia-some-remain, Yale School of Management, 19 May 2023, Unilever have temporarily suspended all imports and exports to Russia, but its Russian wing continues to trade there.NEWS, Unilever refuses to stop selling products in Russia despite championing ‘social purpose’, The Telegraph, 9 February 2023,www.telegraph.co.uk/business/2023/02/09/unilever-refuses-stop-selling-products-russia-despite-championing/, The Daily Telegraph, 19 May 2023, Woolfson, Daniel, Gill, Oliver, Between 2021 and 2022 profits in Russia doubled to 9.2 billion rubles (â‚¬108 million) and the business paid 3.2 billion rubles (â‚¬38 million) in taxes; giving rise to criticism that the company is directly helping to fund Russia’s war effort in Ukraine.WEB, Action with Ukraine,actionwithukraine.net/unilever-in-russia-ukraine/, Action With Ukraine, 19 May 2023, In response to this, and claims that the company had broken previous promises to only sell essential items, and to cut all advertising spending in Russia, Unilever’s CEO Alan Jope said: “We still believe that staying is the best option, both to prevent our company from falling directly or indirectly into Russian hands and to protect our people.“WEB, Unilever doubles profits in Russia, but says it didn’t break earlier promises,nltimes.nl/2023/05/12/unilever-doubles-profits-russia-says-didnt-break-earlier-promises#:~:text=We%20will%20not%20invest%20any,essential%20food%20and%20hygiene%20products.%E2%80%9D, NL Times, 19 May 2023, In July 2023, the Ukrainian National Agency on Corruption Prevention included Unilever in the list of “war sponsors” for not ceasing operations in Russia, but continuing to profit from this market.WEB,www.rbc.ru/politics/03/07/2023/64a2c9849a794726336541b1, Ð£ÐºÑ€Ð°Ð¸Ð½Ð° Ð²Ð½ÐµÑÐ»Ð° ÐºÐ¾Ð¼Ð¿Ð°Ð½Ð¸ÑŽ Unilever Ð² ÑÐ¿Ð¸ÑÐ¾Ðº Â«ÑÐ¿Ð¾Ð½ÑÐ¾Ñ€Ð¾Ð² Ð²Ð¾Ð¹Ð½Ñ‹Â», ru, 3 July 2023, Rbc.ru, It was reported that the company paid â‚¬331 million in taxes in Russia in 2022, with a spokesperson for the Ukraine Solidarity Project saying: “Unilever is contributing hundreds of millions in tax revenues to a state which is killing civilians and funding a mercenary group about to be designated a terrorist organisation in the UK. It risks its staff and resources being mobilised into Putin’s machine. Some of the world’s biggest companies have already left Russia. It’s possible â€“ after 16 months of war â€“ that the time for excuses has passed.“NEWS, Butler, Sarah, Unilever named ‘international sponsor of war’ by Ukraine,www.theguardian.com/business/2023/jul/03/unilever-named-international-sponsor-of-war-by-ukraine, 3 July 2023, The Guardian, 3 July 2023, In a letter to B4Ukraine, Unilever said it paid 3.8bn roubles (Â£33m) in tax in 2022, similar to the previous year.NEWS,www.theguardian.com/business/2023/jul/23/unilever-comply-russian-conscription-law-staff-called-up?CMP=Share_AndroidApp_Other, Unilever to comply with Russian conscription law if staff called up, The Guardian, In July 2023, it was reported that Unilever would allow 3,000 of its Russian employees to be conscripted into the Russian army fighting in Ukraine.NEWS, Boland, Hannah, Unilever to allow its 3,000 Russian workers to be conscripted,www.telegraph.co.uk/business/2023/07/23/unilever-allow-3000-russian-workers-conscripted-ukraine-war/, 23 July 2023, The Telegraph, 23 July 2023, On 25 July 2023, the new CEO of Unilever, Hein Schumacher, appointed that month, told reporters that the company had considered leaving Russia or selling the business. The first option, according to him, was abandoned, fearing the nationalization of the company, as was the second, because they could not find a worthy buyer. As a result, the continuation of a limited presence in Russia was considered the lesser evil. “None of the options are actually good, but the final option of operating our business in a constrained manner is the least bad and that is where we are,” he said.WEB,www.reuters.com/business/retail-consumer/abandon-sell-keep-unilevers-russia-conundrum-2023-07-25/, Abandon, sell, keep? Unilever’s Russia conundrum, 25 July 2023, Reuters,

Notes

References

External links

{{Official website}}
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}}{{Unilever}}{{Navboxes|list1={{AEX companies}}{{FTSE 100 Index constituents}}{{LQ45 companies}}{{British Royal Warrant holders}}{{Palm oil}}}}{{Authority control|state=expanded}}

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Trade in Russia amid the Russo-Ukrainian War

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