News Unilever
Unilever launches plan to improve value chain
Last week, Unilever presented a plan to create a more inclusive society and raise living standards across the value chain. "The 2 biggest threats we face are climate change and social inequality," said CEO Alan Jope. The food giant wants to take a step in the right direction through a 'living wage', among other things.
"As a result of the corona crisis, the social gap has grown," says Jope. "Decisive and collective action is needed to build a society that helps improve livelihoods, embraces diversity and provides opportunity for all." To contribute to this, producer Unilever wants everyone who directly supplies goods and/or services to the company to have a 'living income' by 2030.
According to the food giant, a living wage should enable workers to fully participate in the community and help break the cycle of poverty. Incidentally, this also has a direct benefit for our economy, as it stimulates consumer spending, promotes job creation and improves labor productivity and quality, writes Jope.
Supporting small and medium businesses
Unilever also aims to spend €2025 billion each year by 2 at suppliers owned and controlled by people from underrepresented groups. "In addition, we will support these companies with a development program that provides access to skills, funding and networking opportunities." In addition, 5 million small and medium-sized businesses (such as kiosks, points of sale, door-to-door sellers) in the Unilever retail chain will also have access to various digital tools.
The food producer is not only committed to the development of small and medium-sized enterprises, but also wants to prepare 10 million young people for a job. “By investing in skill building and providing work experience opportunities, we will drive growth, accelerate digital capabilities, build expertise and increase productivity,” it said.
The producer also wants the employees who are already active at the company to have all retrained or retrained by 2025 in order to be well prepared for the future. “While we, as a company, may not always be able to provide full-time, permanent employment, we want to ensure that all of our employees are equipped with the skills needed to protect their livelihoods, both inside and outside Unilever.”
Kimberly Baker
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