MAKING A BETTER WORLD

For HUL, sustainability is not just a strategic priority but deeply embedded in its purpose and operations

- KRISHNA GOPALAN

IN 2010, HINDUSTAN Unilever Ltd (HUL), as a part of its parent's Unilever Sustainable Living Plan (USLP), looked at ways to address India-specific challenges and opportunities. “We laid out ambitious goals to decouple business growth from environmental impact, while increasing positive social outcomes. It significantly advanced our sustainability agenda in India,” says B. P. Biddappa, Executive Director and Chief People Transformation and Sustainability Officer, HUL.

The approach is simple—what is good for India is good for HUL. Sustainability, Biddappa elaborates, is not just a strategic priority but deeply embedded “in our purpose and operations.” Before the company really formalised its sustainability and CSR goals, the commitment towards communities and the ecosystem was evident in flagship programmes like Prabhat and Shakti.