Unilever is creating strategic supplier partnerships to support its sustainable growth ambitions by jointly investing in growth, sustainable practices and innovation.

The 'Partner to Win' programme

Unilever launched a programme in 2011 called 'Partner to Win' to help it work more closely with suppliers on sustainability initiatives. Under the programme to date, Unilever and its partners have jointly invested €3 billion in collaborative projects covering all areas of procurement, including packaging, chemicals, commodities and services.

Each partnership is based upon a joint business development plan, which sets out Unilever’s strategic business plans and provides a clear framework of how Unilever and its partner will work together to deliver the project goals over the long term.    

Supplier summit encourage innovation

Unilever recently invited 160 strategic suppliers to attend its second annual 'Partner to Win Supplier Summit' in London. The summit provided an opportunity for them to meet senior Unilever managers, gain a better understanding of Unilever’s strategic priorities and share latest innovations.

Part of Sustainable Living plan

'Partner to Win' forms part of Unilever's Sustainable Living plan. More details about the plan, including the development of a tool to measure and manage carbon dioxide emissions, can be found here.

Pier Luigi Sigismondi, Unilever's Chief Supply Chain Officer, said: "Unilever has a bold ambition to double the size of its business whilst halving the environmental impact of its products. Our recent financial results and update on the Unilever Sustainable Living Plan show we are making good progress in both areas. In 2011, our suppliers invested an estimated €1.3 billion in additional industrial capacity to support our growth.”

 “It’s a similar story when it comes working closely together on innovation. Half of Unilever’s innovation pipeline now comes from our suppliers. From last year’s ‘Partner to Win Supplier Summit’ alone more than 250 innovation ideas were taken into joint development programmes. This demonstrates the strength and commitment of our partnerships and the progress we are making.”