Unilever 2015 Annual Report Download - page 22

DELIVERIN VALUE
FOR OUR STAKEHOLDERS
THE FOLLOWIN PAES HIHLIHT HOW UNILEVER HAS
PERFORMED FOR THE BENEFIT OF OUR ONSUMERS, WIDER
SOIETY, OUR PEOPLE AND OUR SHAREHOLDERS IN 2015
OUR ONSUMERS
The economc uncertantes consumers
have faced showed few sgns of abatng
n 2015 But despte the tough backdrop
consumers revealed more clearly than ever
ther growng preference for brands they
can trust Although consumpton contnues
to be lnked to some of the world’s gravest
problems – deforestaton, clmate change,
water scarcty, malnutrton or unhealthy
dets – consumer tastes and preferences
are clearly movng towards products that
are authentc, sourced sustanably and
manufactured n a responsble way
All our categores are focused on addressng
these challenges and opportuntes wth
nnovatons that provde consumers wth the
products they want, wth the benefts they
need and the trust they demand
pages 20 to 23
SOIETY
2015 wtnessed maor steps forward
both n Unlever’s core Purpose of makng
sustanable lvng commonplace and n the
transformatonal change at a socetal level
needed to tackle the world’s maor socal,
envronmental and economc problems
The Unlever Sustanable Lvng Plan (USLP)
contnued to have sgnfcant mpact across
all three of ts core goals of mprovng health
and well-beng, reducng envronmental
mpact and enhancng lvelhoods
All these specfc actvtes came aganst the
background of two sgnfcant developments
on a global scale – the launch of the 17
Unted Natons Sustanable Development
oals and the UN Pars OP21 conference
on clmate change, the largest ever held
Workng n partnershp wth the UN,
governments, NOs, our supplers and
others, we are helpng to lead the changes
that socety needs and that our company
wll beneft from n the long term
pages 24 to 27
OUR PEOPLE
Our clear Purpose s somethng that
Unlever people can engage wth and help
make a realty every day Brngng that
Purpose to lfe and makng our vson a
realty requres us to recrut and retan
people of the hghest qualty We want to
help all our people be the best they can, to
realse ther potental and the potental of
the busness Tranng and development
are crucal for all and we strve to create
a workng envronment that respects the
human rghts and nterests of all our
employees and embeds gender equalty
as a fundamental part of our approach
pages 28 to 31
OUR SHAREHOLDERS
We am to delver the best possble
operatonal performance from the
busness to delver maxmum returns
to our shareholders over the long term
The fnancal performance that results
s based on growth that s consstent,
compettve, responsble and proftable
How we manage our portfolo of assets and
our fnances s an mportant contrbutor
to shareholder returns and reflects how
the busness s adaptng to meet changng
consumer preferences and volatlty more
broadly n our markets
pages 32 to 34
IMPROVED SALES
Breyers has reversed fve years
of declnng sales by completng the
launch of elato Indulgences and
a new Qualty Pledge across the
brand, whch ncludes a platform
of sustanable sourcng
EDUATION PRORAMMES
Through our USLP we are
commtted to enhancng
lvelhoods Wth our Partner
to Wn, Symrse, we are helpng
3,300 vanlla farmers and ther
communtes n Madagascar
wth secondary educaton and
agrcultural tranng that wll
secure sustanable vanlla
supples for Breyers and many
other Unlever brands
19Unilever Annual Report and Accounts 2015 Strategic Report