Climate Change
Increased atmospheric concentrations of greenhouse gases (GHGs), mainly carbon dioxide (CO2) from the burning of fossil fuels, are widely believed to be raising average global temperatures.
Unilever's impact
Climate change is one of the most pressing global environmental issues and we are committed to reducing our emissions and helping consumers to reduce theirs. For example, most of our washing detergents are designed for low temperatures.
We also encourage the efforts of industry bodies to promote energy efficiency, within our industry and in homes. Such action has been prompted by international efforts to combat climate change. We realise that our business could be damaged by altered weather patterns, especially if they affect agriculture, the availability of clean water and sea temperatures.
The action we take
We are working to tackle climate change through eco-efficiency, renewables and advanced refrigeration. Unilever has been purchasing ice cream freezer cabinets with zero Ozone Depletion Potential (ODP) since 1995 now only purchases new cabinets using refrigerants with zero ODP and zero Global Warming Potential (GWP). Moving from HFC (hydrofluorocarbon) to HC (hydrocarbon) is a small but important example of our leadership in this area. HC is already widely used in domestic refrigeration but Unilever was one of the first to use HC cabinets for high performance cabinet industrial refrigeration.
Find out more
The Unilever Global site includes a great deal of information about climate change, why it matters, our impact and working with others. It includes information on Unilever's involvement in the Carbon Disclosure Project. Click here to link off to the Unilever Global web site Climate Change section.
