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Sustainability as Opportunity: Unilever’s Sustainable Living Plan

In: Managing Sustainable Business

Author

Listed:
  • Joanne Lawrence

    (Hult International Business School)

  • Andreas Rasche

    (Copenhagen Business School)

  • Kevina Kenny

    (Hult International Business School EMBA)

Abstract

Sustainability, as it relates to both social and environmental issues, is treated very differently among companies that incorporate the subject into their business strategies. In this case, we explore sustainability at Unilever whose management addresses it not as a risk to be managed or cost to be avoided, but as an opportunity for competitive advantage and growth. With emerging markets as the backdrop, we learn about Unilever’s Sustainable Living Plan, and what the company has done to integrate sustainability principles into its business model and build on its core competencies, such as innovative product development and marketing expertise, to realise the potential of the fast-growing emerging markets (57% of its 2014 revenues came from emerging markets compared to less than 17% of most multinationals). Issues considered are the role of corporate culture and competencies, the importance of committed and courageous leadership, the willingness to set ambitious goals, and the challenge of creating internal and external alignment around strategic goals.

Suggested Citation

  • Joanne Lawrence & Andreas Rasche & Kevina Kenny, 2019. "Sustainability as Opportunity: Unilever’s Sustainable Living Plan," Springer Books, in: Gilbert G. Lenssen & N. Craig Smith (ed.), Managing Sustainable Business, chapter 21, pages 435-455, Springer.
    • Handle: RePEc:spr:sprchp:978-94-024-1144-7_21
    DOI: 10.1007/978-94-024-1144-7_21
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    Cited by:

    1. Bahruddin, & Macdonald, Kate & Diprose, Rachael & Delgado Pugley, Deborah, 2024. "Scaling-up sustainable commodity governance through jurisdictional initiatives: Political pathways to sector transformation in the Indonesian palm oil sector?," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 176(C).

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