Unilever kicks off campaign for a #BrightFuture

Consumer goods company Unilever has unveiled the first phase of its global #BrightFuture campaign in Australia and New Zealand. The campaign encourages employees to think about how they can create a brighter future and take small, everyday actions to make sustainable living commonplace.

The campaign kicked off with employees invited to a panel discussion held to mark the third-year progress report of the Unilever Sustainable Living Plan. The panel of experts, from NGOs including the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), Oxfam, Taronga Zoo and the Centre for Sustainability Leadership (CSL), discussed how businesses and their employees can have a transformational impact on the world and called on them to focus their reach, expertise and resources on the areas where they can have the most positive impact.

To raise awareness of the company values embodied within the corporate Unilever brand, employees were asked to identify their ‘icon’ from the Unilever logo that best represents how they can support Unilever’s sustainable growth agenda. The Unilever ‘U’ consists of 25 different symbols, many of which represent the company’s Sustainable Living goals.

Unilever ANZ Chairman and CEO Clive Stiff said, “With sustainable living at the heart of everything we do as a business, we believe there is no better time than now to empower our people and their families to take action and help us create a better future for the world. Inspiring our employees to join a cause that matters to them personally is one of the most important steps in driving change on a broader scale, and it’s been fantastic to see so many of our employees and their families getting involved throughout the #BrightFuture campaign.”

Unilever employees and family members were also invited to Unilever’s Sydney headquarters to attend the #BrightFuture Family Day. The event, which featured a host of workshops, was designed to demonstrate the role Unilever’s brands can play in helping people to reduce their environmental impact and increase positive social impact.

Hugo Verkuil, VP Marketing & MD Foods & Refreshments, said, “Being part of Unilever means every one of us has a role to play in creating a more sustainable future. The campaign is a fantastic opportunity to engage our employees and for them to see the possibility of a brighter world, take action to drive positive change and join causes that are important to them in a tangible and meaningful way. We want to encourage our people to talk to their family and friends outside of the workplace and make a commitment to join the #BrightFuture movement.”

To view the Unilever Sustainable Living Plan progress report, visit http://www.unilever.com/sustainable-living-2014/.