Unilever’s New Global Strategy: Competing Through Sustainability

Company should try to increase its collaboration with organizations similar to UN and other globally known like Greenpeace. In my opinion Unilever should choose option with prolonging its sustainability vector in developing products and trying to reduce pollution of earth, despite the fact that it hinders their financial performance and choosing other option could be more profitable. However it could be better to have more achievable goals that will sound realistic and measure it more from company perspective rather than relying on consumers’ further action. Suppliers could be affected more as they have business ties and agreements but customers are free in their will and it’s hard to expect and measure how it will perform in long term. So, more realistic goals and measure more on their selves first and suppliers second could be good way to show their performance and action efficiency. I recommend this way as it is our common responsibility to take care of sustainability on our planet by reducing pollution in any means and such “battle” against pollution of giant company like Unilever could bring new trend and awaken sense of responsibility in other businesses first and in people as general. Even if it requires capital investments and they cannot be sure about return on their investments, their performance in general is getting better compared to previous years. They already achieved some of their goals in sustainability and became more comprehensive in most of them. As we read from the case, it depends not only on Unilever but whole system that needs to be involved to achieve such goals. I would try to establish a new fund where investments and smaller donations could be done as Unilever pursues common goal for everyone and change lifestyle of consumers to more efficient use of resources and make production of goods as “clean” as possible. Biggest communities regarding to environment can make a competition between companies that show performance not only in making profits and margins, but give prizes to ones that try to do it in environmental friendly way and also it could be helpful for advertising those companies. They could benefit from advertising as being company that cares about earth. Entering underdeveloped countries to emerge in their market could be another solution to increase breadth of company and it’s positioning in general. If they enter those markets they will be leaders and it may increase their financial performance