The climate crisis continues to weigh heavily on many consumers, and to fight the battle, beauty brand Unilever is putting its climate action plan to its shareholders for a vote. This marks the first time a major conglomerate has put its climate action plan to shareholders. The plan aims to reduce carbon emissions across the brand's operations by transitioning 100% of its operations to renewable energy and completely eliminating deforestation.
"Climate change is the most pressing issue of our time and we are determined to play a leadership role in accelerating the transition to a zero carbon economy," said Unilever’s CEO, Alan Jope, who has been awarded a CEW Special Industry Award for 2020. "We have a wide ranging and ambitious set of climate commitments – but we know they are only as good as our delivery against them. That’s why we will be sharing more details with our shareholders who are increasingly wanting to understand more about our strategy and plans."
Beauty-Branded Shareholder Climate Plan Votes
Unilever Aims to Combat Climate Change with New Plan
Trend Themes
1. Shareholder Climate Plans - More companies could follow in Unilever's footsteps by putting their climate action plans to shareholders for a vote to increase corporate accountability.
2. Renewable Energy Transition - Companies may see opportunities by committing to transition 100% of their operations to renewable energy to reduce their carbon emissions.
3. Deforestation Elimination - Eliminating deforestation could become a priority for more companies as part of their climate action plans and to reduce their carbon footprint.
Industry Implications
1. Consumer Goods - Consumer goods companies may face increasing pressure from shareholders to develop climate action plans and reduce their carbon footprint.
2. Renewable Energy - The renewable energy industry may see a surge in demand as more companies commit to transitioning their operations to renewable energy sources.
3. Sustainable Forestry - Companies in the sustainable forestry industry could see an increase in demand as part of efforts to eliminate deforestation and reduce carbon emissions.