About us
Unilever is one of the world’s leading consumer goods companies, making and selling around 400 brands in more than 190 countries.
Make sustainable living commonplace
Every day, 2.5 billion people use our products to look good, feel good and get more out of life. That’s about a third of the global population choosing from household names such as Lipton, Knorr, Dove and Hellmann’s, and iconic local brands like Bango in Indonesia and Suave in the US. In fact, thirteen of the world’s top 50 brands are owned by Unilever.
Our geographic reach gives us an unparalleled global presence, including a unique position in emerging markets which generate 58% of our turnover.
Our business activities span a complex, global value chain. We work with thousands of suppliers and spend around €34 billion on goods and services, including approximately €13 billion on ingredients and raw materials, which are made into products in our 300+ factories across 69 countries. These products are then distributed to 25 million retailers, from supermarkets to small convenience stores, and through other fast-growing channels such as e-commerce and direct-to-consumer. We are also the second largest advertiser in the world, based on media spend.
- 190
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Number of countries we operate in
- 160k+
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Number of people we employ
- €1bn
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Amount we invest in R&D every year
With this kind of scale comes responsibility
We live in an increasingly uncertain and volatile world. Temperatures are rising, droughts are more frequent, food supplies are increasingly scarce, the gap between rich and poor is growing, and billions still do not have access to basic hygiene and sanitation.
But society is changing. There’s a growing shift towards more meaningful and sustainable consumption, with individuals increasingly taking personal responsibility for the impact of their purchasing decisions.
That’s why our purpose is simple: to make sustainable living commonplace.
By that we mean helping to create a world where we can all live well and within the natural limits of the planet.
And together with our wider community – of partners, suppliers and citizens – we’re making progress.
This is being driven today by the same pioneering spirit that launched Unilever back in the 1890s, with a humble bar of soap that helped make cleanliness commonplace in Victorian England.
As we grow the business, we’re actively working to:
