“There has never been a better moment than the present to protect the planet for future generations,” said Paul Polman, Global CEO of Unilever, speaking at the Unilever Gala Dinner at Monte Casino, in Fourways on 01 June 2015. In his call to government, business and NGOs to launch the company’s “brightFuture” campaign, he continued by saying: “Now is the time to join hands as a global community to work together towards finding and committing to solutions for climate change.”
The “brightFuture” campaign is intended to engage people, especially future leaders to ensure that:
The Gala Dinner closely followed the activation held on 21 May 2015, where Unilever and Wildlands hosted a Brighter Future Activation Day at the Sports Grounds in Ndwedwe Verulam, Kwa-Zulu Natal. At the activation, which drew members from the surrounding community, 68 Tree-preneurs received 122 hampers as part of a unique barter model.
Peter Cowan, the Chairman of Unilever South Africa made it known that with the power of the people, input by government and interest by all companies, big and small, we can undo the damage we, as humans, have affected on our planet.
“Roads in India are actually melting as we feel the brunt of global warming. Gone are the days where global warming was a future notion; an issue for the next generation to handle. It is our time to act now or there may not even be an earth, a planet to sustain our progeny. The time to act is now.”
The Gala Dinner was an invitation to change, an invitation to do more at this present moment. All this was but a call to action, ahead of the COP21 to be held in Paris towards the end of this year.
Mr Polman emphasised Unilever’s commitment to sustainable business practice. “We don’t just create campaigns for the sake of looking good and ticking CSI boxes. At the core of our business we strive to decouple the company’s growth from its environmental footprint and increase positive social impact. We aim to help more than a billion people take action to improve their health and well-being as well as enhancing the livelihoods of millions of people by 2020,” he added.
“While our competitors and other corporates are talking about ‘brands with purpose,’ we have put some definition and measurement behind what we call ‘sustainable living brands’ – meaning brands that contribute to one or more of Unilever’s Sustainable Living Plan goals and have a sustainable living purpose. We have been doing this for four years now and the result in each of our markets is proof that we are doing something right.”
Unilever, and other large corporates, have the opportunity to eradicate poverty and deal with the issue of climate change in partnership with government and NGOs. In order to tackle climate change and ensure global growth, future leaders must be engaged and encouraged to heed the call and “Take Climate Action Now”.
Mr Polman concluded: “Unilever cannot solve the world’s climate problems alone. Worldwide in every country, every citizen, company, government and NGO has a role to play. Together we can make significant strides in ensuring a better future for the leaders of tomorrow.”
Speaking at the same event, the CEO of wildlands, Dr Andrew Venter, mentioned that with Unilever’s support, as well as that of key donors such as the Department of Environmental Affairs, they are able to support over 10 000 Tree-preneurs, plant over 1 000 000 trees per annum and recycle over 20 000 000kgs of waste.
“It was an honor to share the stage with such a well-respected and passionate individual, Mr Paul Polman,” said Venter. “We share a common goal of wanting to uplift people and promote sustainability while doing so.”
WILDTRUST (registered as the Wildlands Conservation Trust - IT No: 4329/1991/PMB)