Climate Policy Engagement Analysis
Climate Policy Engagement Overview: Unilever supports ambitious action on climate change and actively supported various strands of climate-related regulation in 2023-25. The company strongly supports the energy transition, including the removal of fossil fuel subsidies, and broadly supports land use and circular economy-related regulations.
Top-line Messaging on Climate Policy: Unilever’s top-line messaging is supportive of ambitious action on climate change. The company has consistently stated support for GHG emissions reductions in line with the 1.5°C target, for example in its 2025 Climate Policy Engagement Review, published in April 2025. In its March 2024 Climate Policy Engagement Review, it supported the EU 2050 climate neutrality target. In its 2024 Annual Report, published in March 2025, Unilever strongly supported the UN Paris Agreement, in particular by advocating to raise the ambition of Nationally Determined Contributions to limit global warming below 1.5°C. Unilever supported the implementation of the EU Fit for 55 package in a joint letter published in March 2024.
Engagement with Climate-related Policies: Unilever actively supports climate change-related regulations and policies. In a March 2024 joint industry letter on the EU 2040 Climate Target, the company advocated for a GHG emissions reduction target of 90-95% compared to 1990 levels, in line with The European Scientific Advisory Board on Climate Change recommendations. Unilever supported the EU’s CO2 standards for light-/medium-duty and heavy-duty vehicles in a July 2024 joint letter.
In its March 2024 Climate Policy Engagement Review, Unilever appeared supportive of the EU Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism and the EU Emissions Trading System (ETS), advocating to increase the climate ambition of the ETS by increasing its Linear Reduction Factor.
Unilever is supportive of renewable energy legislation in multiple regions. The company appeared to support renewable energy targets in India in a September 2024 publication. In its March 2024 Climate Policy Engagement Review it stated strong support for renewable energy legislation and engaged directly with policymakers in Indonesia on the matter. In a July 2024 open statement to the Japanese government, Unilever supported tripling Japan’s renewable target by 2035.
Engagement with Circular Economy-related Policies Unilever engages positively on circular economy-related policies. In feedback to EU policymakers submitted in June 2023, the company supported the EU Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation to set a GHG emissions cap on products designed in the EU. Unilever has consistently stated support for the UN Global Plastics Treaty, and co-chairs the Business Coalition for a Global Plastics Treaty. For example, in a December 2024 news release the company supported a mandatory treaty and mandatory implementation of government regulated Extended Producer Responsibility. Similarly, in an October 2024 news release, the company advocated for policymakers to increase the ambition of the treaty by calling for it to include legally binding instruments covering the entire life-cycle of plastics.
Engagement with Land-Use Related Policies: Unilever appears to take positive positions on land-use and policy. The company strongly supported the EU Regulation on Deforestation-Free Products (EUDR) in an October 2024 joint statement, opposing the delay of its implementation. In an October 2023 joint letter signed by CEO Hein Schumacher, Unilever appeared generally supportive of policy for protecting and enhancing carbon sinks and reservoirs. The company appeared supportive of policy to transition diets in line with the EU Farm to Fork strategy through the Giant Leaps Consortium in a brochure accessed in July 2024. Additionally, in a December 2024 joint letter, Unilever strongly supported policy to make agricultural production less resource and land intensive whilst simultaneously supporting the need for transitioning consumer diets.
Positioning on Energy Transition: Unilever strongly supports the energy transition in its policy engagement. The company stated support for a transition to a low-carbon economy and the phase out of fossil fuels in an October 2024 joint letter to UK government. In an October 2024 joint letter the CEO, Hein Schumacher, supported the removal of fossil fuel subsidies. In the same joint letter, the CEO advocated in favor of measures to aid the transition towards a renewables-based energy system that included specific regulatory measures towards the electrification of transportation, industry, and heating. In August 2023, Unilever signed a joint letter strongly supporting the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)’s proposed power plant rules and advocated for more ambitious standards to address coal and gas plant GHG emissions.
Unilever strongly supported the EU’s Greening Corporate Fleets initiative in a July 2024 joint letter, supporting the implementation of a corporate fleets mandate for light, medium and heavy-duty fleets as well as the EU’s Alternative Fuels Infrastructure Regulation.
The company supported the decarbonization of the chemicals sector through shifting away from fossil-fuel based feedstocks in a November 2024 news release.
Industry Association Governance: Unilever has published a complete and accurate list of its industry association memberships and their alignment on climate policy in its 2025 Climate Policy Engagement Review published in April 2025. The engagement activities of key industry associations of which it is a member such as FoodDrinkEurope, the European Chemical Industry Council (Cefic), and the European Round Table for Industry (ERT) are disclosed in Unilever’s review. In addition, an accurate assessment of misalignments and actions detailed to address these have been disclosed.
InfluenceMap collects and assesses evidence of corporate climate policy engagement on a weekly basis, depending on the availability of information from each specific data source (for more information see our methodology). While this analysis flows through to the company’s scores each week, the summary above is updated periodically. This summary was last updated in Q3 2025.