Unilever 2013 Annual Report Download - page 11

SUSTAINABLE LIVIN
For us, sustainable, equitable growth
is the only acceptable business model.
Business needs to be a regenerative
force in the system that gives it life.
For example, by reducing waste we
create efficiencies and reduce costs,
helping to improve margins while
reducing risk. Meanwhile, looking at
more sustainable ways of developing
products, sourcing and manufacturing
opens up opportunities for innovation while
improving the livelihoods of our suppliers.
Our USLP is the means by which we seek to
achieve sustainable growth. The USLP has
three big goals:
IMPROVIN HEALTH AND WELLBEIN
By 2020 we will help more than a billion
people take action to improve their health
and well-being.
REDUIN ENVIRONMENTAL IMPAT
By 2020 our goal is to halve the environmental
footprint of the making and use of our
products as we grow our business.^
ENHANIN LIVELIHOODS
By 2020 we will enhance the livelihoods of
hundreds of thousands of people as we grow
our business.
See page 22
OUR PEOPLE
Sustainable, profitable growth can
only be achieved with the right people
working in an organisation that is fit to win,
with a culture in which performance is
aligned with values. We are an increasingly
agile and diverse business with people
motivated by doing good while doing
well. We are building capability and
leadership among our people and
attracting some of the best
talent in the market place.
See page 14
OUR BRANDS
Strong brands and innovation are central
toour ambition to double in size. We are
investing in brand equity, finding and
strengthening the connections between
consumers and the products they buy.
Strong brand equities enable us to create
efficiencies by focusing on fewer, bigger
projects that enhance margins. And we
are seeking superior products which
consumers will prefer, driving profitable
growth.
See page 10
OUR OPERATIONS
On any given day 2 billion consumers use our
products and we want to reach many more,
by developing innovative products that address
different consumer needs at different price
points. To do this we use our global scale to
help deliver sustainable, profitable growth by
seeking to add value at every step in the value
chain by enhancing product quality and
customer service, and rolling out innovations
faster across all markets.
See page 18
Our business model is designed to
deliver sustainable growth. For us,
sustainability is integral to how we do
business. In a world where temperatures
are rising, water is scarce, energy is
expensive, sanitation is poor in many
areas, and food supplies are uncertain
and expensive, we have both a duty and
an opportunity to address these issues
in the way we do business.
OUR OMPASS STRATEY
We call our business strategy document
‘the Compass’, since it sets out a constant
path for Unilever for the long term. First
developed in 2009, it was sharpened
in 2012 but its core elements remained
the same. The Compass sets out our
ambitious Vision and Purpose, and defines
four non-negotiable commitments within
the business that we believe will help us
achieve both: winning with brands and
innovation; winning in the market place;
winning through continuous improvement;
and winning with people. Our Statement
of Purpose is also the title of our Annual
Report and Accounts.
The Compass gives life to our determination
to build a sustainable business for the long
term and to find new ways to operate that
do not just take from society and the
environment. This is captured in the
Unilever Sustainable Living Plan (USLP).
^ Our environmental targets are expressed on a ‘per
consumer use’ basis, using a lifecycle approach. This
means a single use, portion or serving of a product.
8Strategc report Unlever Annual Report and Accounts 2013
OUR
BUSINESS
MODEL