Page 10 - The European Business Review

Transformation Economy

focusing on environmental challenges negatively Unilever coordinated the creation of a Post-2015 Business
affects the bottom line. Manifesto endorsed by over 20 leading companies, setting
For another early pioneer, Grameen Danone 8
out a vision for the role of business in achieving the SDGs.
Ltd, the impetus came from two founders who
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goal. One was Franck Riboud, at the time CEO of
Danone, a French multinational fresh dairy prod- More Recent Examples
ucts company committed to “bring health through Other companies are now following in the footsteps
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food to as many people as possible”. The other of these pioneers including world leaders such as
was Muhammad Yunus, founder of the Grameen Unilever. In 2014, Unilever coordinated the creation
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Bank and acclaimed worldwide for establishing of a Post-2015 Business Manifesto endorsed by
micro-credit in developing markets. Together over 20 leading companies, setting out a vision for
Riboud and Yunus aimed to bring low-cost, forti- the role of business in achieving the SDGs. Unilever
ÀHG \RJKXUW WR PDOQRXULVKHG FKLOGUHQ DFURVV itself is engaging with the SDGs through the
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Bangladesh. 10,11 One cup of the “Shokti Doi” Unilever Sustainable Living Plan and its transfor-
yoghurt would cover a child’s daily requirements PDWLRQDO FKDQJH DJHQGD 7KLV DJHQGD GHÀQHV WKUHH
of vitamins, salts, calcium and proteins. 12 areas where the company believes it has “the scale,
From current perspectives, the business is aligned LQÁXHQFH DQG UHVRXUFHV WR PDNH D ELJ GLIIHUHQFHµ
with SDG 1 (End poverty in all its forms everywhere) eliminating deforestation; making sustainable agri-
and SDG 2 (End hunger, achieve food security and culture mainstream; and “working towards universal
improved nutrition, and promote sustainable agricul- access to safe drinking water, sanitation and hygiene”.
ture), and from the start it produced positive impacts In this third area, Unilever sees the largest opportu-
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across the value network. The milk was purchased nity to both deliver on SDG 6 (Ensure availability and
Unilever is working
from local micro-farmers, and its micro entrepre- with communities sustainable management of water and sanitation for
neurs, the “Grameen Danone Ladies”, delivered and organisations all) and to add value for its own business.
in India and Nigeria
yoghurt to rural areas via door-to-door distribution by giving access to Unilever uses advocacy on public policy and
receiving a 10% commission for their services. In clean water. partnerships with governments, NGOs and other
Photo Coutesy:
total, Grameen Danone Foods created about 1,600 https://www.unilever. industry players to achieve this goal. The company
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jobs within a 30 km radius around its environmen- com/sustainable- has helped establish the WASH4Work coalition,
living/our-strategy/
tally friendly factory in the Bogra district. 14 about-our-strategy/ part of the UN-Business Action hub, and is a
member of the Toilet Board Coalition which seeks
to develop sustainable and scalable commercial
solutions to the sanitation crisis. It is also measuring
the impact on the communities these initiatives
seek to transform. For instance, Unilever’s Lifebouy
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hand soap brand has conducted a clinical trial
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of its handwashing behaviour change approach.
Involving 2000 families in Mumbai, India, the trial
demonstrated that children in the intervention
group had 25% fewer incidences of diarrhea, 15%
fewer cases of acute respiratory infections, and 46%
fewer eye infections than the control group.
The transformative path is not always smooth.
For example, Grameen Danone struggled due to an
incomplete understanding of its target consumers’
tastes and preferences, their purchasing power and
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But for many initiatives the biggest challenge is
trying to scale beyond an initial setting.

10 The European Business Review January - February 2018