Unilever Sustainable Living Plan Progress Report 2011

22 Unilever Sustainable Living Plan Progress Report 2011
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OUR COMMITMENT
oUr aPProach
Water is a basic human need. The United nations estimates
that each person needs 20–50 litres per day for drinking and
daily tasks like cooking and washing.
The average north American uses 550 litres daily, while in
the poorest countries people live on as little as 10 litres a
day. Worldwide, some 70% of total water consumption is
used for agriculture.
Water shortages are increasingly common and already touch
many parts of the world, from china to India to the United
States. Their growing frequency is the result of population
growth, improving incomes and climate change. The amount
of water available per head of population has halved over the
last 30 years and is predicted to halve again in the next ten.
It is estimated that the world will face a 40% global shortfall
between demand and supply by 2030.
our products rely on water at all stages of their lifecycle.
To grow our business sustainably, we must reduce the
total amount of water used across our value chain. our
Sustainable Agriculture Programme helps farmers reduce
their water use. We are reducing the water used in our
manufacturing processes. And we can make a big difference
by designing products which require less water in the home.
We are making some progress. our comfort one Rinse
fabric conditioner reduces the water needed for rinsing
clothes from three buckets to one. We have also learnt more
about current showering and bathing habits which will help
us develop new product solutions. But transformational
change will only come when water is priced and there is a
financial incentive to encourage new behaviours.
Halve the water associated with the consumer use of our products by 2020.*
OUR PERFORMANCE
Given the complexity of calculating the impacts of our
product portfolio, we are investing in an automated
process to allow us to measure progress regularly.
An interim sample of 2010 data shows that our water
footprint has remained broadly unchanged.
OUR FOOTPRINT
Source for Footprint and pie charts: Unilever 2008 baseline study across seven
water-scarce countries (see page 41). Total in litres.
WHAT MATTERS MOST
Reducing water use when doing laundry,
showering and washing hair.
[50%] EStiMAtE