Unilever CEO to Receive UN Champion of the Earth Award

Paul Polman is one of the winners of the UN’s highest environmental accolade for leading the private sector toward sustainability and also advocating for more sustainable business models

Polman, who receives the award in the Entrepreneurial Vision category, is being recognized for his bold leadership, which demonstrates that the transition to a low-carbon economy is an opportunity to be seized, not a risk to be managed.

UNEP Executive Director Achim Steiner said, “With his ambitious vision and personal commitment to sustainability, Polman has established a reputation for leading by example. “

As CEO of Unilever, Polman has introduced a plan to halve the environmental footprint of the manufacture and use of the company’s products by 2020.

Under his leadership, Unilever has already achieved zero waste to landfill across its entire global factory network, reduced the amount of COâ‚‚ from energy and water in manufacturing by 37 per cent and 32 per cent since 2008 and are sourcing more than half of agricultural raw materials sustainably.

Polman in response to this honour said, “I’m deeply honoured to accept this award. As the United Nations prepares to adopt the Sustainable Development Goals and agree a global climate deal, it is more important than ever that businesses take active leadership to show that growth and sustainability are not in conflict.”

Source: KBC

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• Environment
• Sustainability
• Business Development