One of the biggest grocery brands in the world is committed to net-zero emissions from all their products by 2039. They are starting by informing us, their customers, of the carbon footprint of all of their products.
Early evening view of Unilever office The Bridge in Feijenoord neighborhood in Rotterdam
"One of the most significant projects in sustainable food in 2020 was unveiled last week. The news is important partly because of the company involved: CPG behemoth Unilever, which reaches 2.5 billion consumers every day through 400 brands, which range from Ben & Jerry’s to Hellmann’s and appear on shelves in 190 countries.
"The other reason is that the plan is genuinely ambitious. The company is committing to net-zero emissions from all products by 2039, spending $1 billion on climate and nature projects over 10 years, and planning on labeling each of its products with information about the carbon emitted in the product’s creation.
"This last point is particularly significant. Consumers, especially younger adults, consistently say that climate concerns influence their purchasing. Yet this influence is diluted because most people have little insight into the emissions linked to specific products. Clearly communicating emissions on every product could leverage those concerns in a scalable way, boosting sales of low-carbon products and punishing emissions-heavy options."
Article: Where Unilever's Product Labeling Initiative Could Have a Huge Impact