Unilever Sri Lanka, a company with an 80 year proud history in the country, had three of their “Selling with Purpose” initiatives recognized at the recently concluded CSR Leadership Awards 2018 which was held at the Taj Samudra. Walking away with three of the highest accolades of the night Unilever Sri Lanka once again cemented its position as a business with sustainability embedded in its DNA.
The CSR Leadership Awards recognize corporate entities and individuals that have made a significant and positive impact on the lives of people around them, through their involvement in corporate social responsibility programmes that respect communities, the environment and people.
The three winning projects were initiated by Unilever’s customer development team to address specific issues they identified through their continuous engagement with the community and extensive research. Project Blue Bag, one of Unilever’s sustainable waste management initiatives that aims to reduce the usage of polythene at Arpico Super Stores, won the accolade for Best Environmentally Friendly Project.
Project SustainabiliTEA (formerly known as Perfect Estates) won in the Community Development category for its efforts in providing holistic solutions to the tea plantation community in the areas of health, hygiene, sustainable waste management, and plantation best practices. Project Udaara, a senior citizen insurance scheme, won the award for Innovation in CSR practices. It was recognized for its ingenuity in addressing a gap in the market for health and bereavement cover for pensioners.
Commenting on this stellar performance, Carl Cruz, Chairman – Unilever Sri Lanka, said, “It is with immense pride that I acknowledge the great efforts made by the customer development team in driving our sustainability business in Sri Lanka. Sustainability is embedded in every aspect of our work at Unilever. It spans the length and breadth of our business and there is no greater testimony to this than to have our projects recognized at this prestigious forum. I congratulate the team on all the hard work they have put into these projects and look forward to their continued success.”
In 2010 Unilever launched the Sustainable Living Plan. The main goal of this plan is to double Unilever’s business by 2020 while halving the company’s environmental impact and increasing its positive social impact. In Sri Lanka the Sustainable Living Plan focuses on projects that address the priorities of the Sri Lankan people, while following the guidelines defined for the company's global targets.
“Being recognized at the CSR Leadership Awards is a testament to the effort we put into incorporating sustainability in the way we do business,” said Aruna Mawilmada, Customer Development Director – Unilever Sri Lanka. “As a company built on the philosophy of ‘Doing Well by Doing Good’ we take great care to ensure that our every action leaves a positive social impact in the communities we do business. Fueled by our Unilever Sustainability Living Plan, we are committed to making sustainable living commonplace, and operating on a business model that has sustainability at its heart.”
About Unilever: Unilever Sri Lanka is one of the biggest FMCG companies in Sri Lanka, with 29 market leading brands in categories such as Home Care, Personal Care and Foods. Established in Sri Lanka in 1938 with brands such as Sunlight, Lux and Pears. Unilever’s corporate purpose is to make sustainable living commonplace, and the Unilever Sustainable Living Plan sets out to decouple the company’s growth from environmental impact, while increasing its positive social impact.
The Plan has three big goals that by 2020 will help improve people’s health and well-being, reduce the company’s environmental footprint, and enhance livelihoods across its value chain. For more information about Unilever, please visit www.unilever.com.lk.