mangroves

In an effort to help mitigate climate change, Unilever has launched a campaign to help educate, encourage and incentivise customers to make sustainable product purchases, marking a step towards its own environmental responsibility commitments.

Unilever’s campaign helps to equip customers with knowledge and tools to make sustainable choices, with purchases helping to support the restoration and monitoring of around 1.3 ha of mangrove ecosystem, which is equivalent to 6,000 mangrove trees through a contribution from Unilever to Emirates Nature WWF.

The Priceless Planet Coalition was launched by Mastercard with partners Conservation International and World Resources Institute, and works alongside Emirates Nature WWF in the UAE. The coalition is dedicated to funding the restoration of 100 million trees globally in the fight against climate change.

“At Unilever, our commitment to achieving Net Zero emissions by 3039 goes hand-in-hand with empowering customers to become part of the solution”, said Khalil Yassine, Head of Customer Development at Unilever Arabia. “In the UAE, we have been at the forefront of decarbonising our operations and are taking this further by investing in nature conservation efforts, with a particular focus on mangrove restoration.”

“We recognise that customers face barriers in adopting sustainable behaviours – whether due to cost, trust or the impact of their choices. This camping directly addresses these challenges by making sustainable products more accessible, educating customers on the value of their purchases, and linking them to tangible environmental outcomes, such as funding the restoration of 6,000 mangroves.”

Research reveals that while 41 per cent of individuals in the region are concerned about the environment and 97 per cent of consumers say they want to change their behaviour to live and shop more sustainably, only 13 per cent are actively doing so.

According to the PwC, 40 per cent of consumers feel sustainable products are too expensive, while others cite limited availability and lack of quality as obstacles to choosing sustainable options. Consumers indicate that they would be more motivated to live a sustainable lifestyle if they were better informed of sustainable practices implementation.

Unilever has long been committed to sustainable action, implementing initiatives such as regenerative farming, using renewable energy, recovering waste heat in its operations, and moving to recycled packaging to offer customers more sustainable products.

Through their educational campaign, Unilever hopes to inspire consumers to make sustainable shopping choices, which will have positive returns for both the customers and the planet. Raising awareness of the importance of mangroves in the region is a vital step; mangroves are one of the planet’s most powerful nature-based climate solutions. They have the potential to store up to four times more carbon than tropical forests, making them hugely impactful for climate change mitigation.

“Our goal is not only to offer sustainable products but to inspire long-term behavioural shifts that contribute to both local and global environmental goals”, Khalil Yassine added. “Through this partnership, we are demonstrating that by working together, we can help drive meaningful change for the planet.”