The subject of today’s post is one of the leading transnational consumer goods companies, Unilever.
Every day, at least 2.5 billion peple use Unilever products. Owing 400 brands comes with a lot of responsibility.
If you look at Unilever’s website, it appears as if the company thrives on having a positive impact on the world. But are these initiatives generated by Corporarte Social Value or simply Corporate Social Responsibility?
Before continuing, why Unilever?
I was reading about the event, CEO Action for Diversity and Inclusion, where CEOs from different corporations sign a pledge, vowing to support diversity and inclusion in their workplace. Looking at the list of corporations, I came upon Unilever and remembering their sexual harassment scandal in Africa, thought:
Is Unilever just polishing their image or practicing CSV?
Well, to determine that, I looked at the good, the bad, and the truth:
The good:
✤ Reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 43% per tonne by the end of 2016 and continuing to set goals for the problem
✤ Addressing the problem of water scarcity by investing into R&D to develop products which help save water
✤ Reducing waste by reusing, recycling, and reducing their own waste and encouraging their consumers to do the same
✤ Being transparent to investors through their website
✤ Inspiring others through Unilever brightFuture, a platform that partners with corporations like UNICEF to help others, and having young entrepreneurship awards
The bad:
✤ in 2011, there were sexual harassment claims from African workers that said they had to bribe supervisors to stop them from unwanted advances
✤ in addition to the sexual harassment claims, Unilever failed to address poor housing conditions in Kenya
✤ this year, Unilever’s South African business was accused of collusion with a competitor
✤ until 2003, Unilever employed over 25,000 children in cotton seed production, paying them 40 Eurocents a day. These children worked between 10-13 hours per day. All this to save moeny in waging the labour.
✤ last year, there was a lawsuit filed against Unilever in India for exposure to mercury caused by an artist’s cry for help:
The truth:
Looking at the good and the bad, I fail to see the correlation. How do Unilever’s endless social initiatives correlate with their also numerous problems?
Behind the scenes is Unilever’s CEO, Paul Polman. An articlist, Tom Borelli, said, “Polman’s focus on social matters distracted him from addressing core business challenges.”
I agree. Unilever’s initiatives are based on CSR and not CSV, and that’s their problem. A website full of initiatives may look good on paper, but doesn’t fix Unilever’s many issues.
I hope the pledge Unilever signed to have diversity and inclusion in their workplace is not just an mirage, but part of their business and helps them solve their current issues on the subject.
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