Unilever achieves zero waste to landfill across global factory network

Knorr stockcube maker, Unilever, has certainly shown it has the know-how when it comes to waste management with the annoucement today that it has achieved a key sustainability target of sending zero non-hazardous waste to landfill from its global factory network.

More than 240 factories in 67 countries have now eliminated landfill waste.

According to the company, eliminating waste has resulted in more than €200m of cost avoidance and created hundreds of jobs. In Egypt, for example, the local team has launched a programme which empowers disabled employees to earn extra income by recycling waste material from Unilever’s production lines, proving that reducing waste makes sound business sense.

Pier Luigi Sigismondi, Unilever's chief supply chain officer, said: “Reaching this landmark is the result of a huge mind-set shift throughout our organisation and a great example of Unilever driving sustainable business growth. Thousands of employees - our ‘zero-makers’ – from across the business have developed some really innovative solutions to eliminate waste. I am incredibly proud of what we and our partners have achieved.

“However we cannot stop here. Our focus now is on becoming a zero waste company and working towards a zero waste value chain by encouraging our suppliers and customers to join us on this mission. We are also committed to developing an open source approach and sharing our ‘zero waste framework’ and experience with other organisations to drive global change and create a more sustainable future.”