Awards & recognition

These are some highlights of recognition we have received from external bodies on our social, economic and environmental performance since 2009.

Highlights from 2009 - 2012

International

Specialist agencies and organisations, including environmental groups, responsible investment analysts, academics and institutes, publish a variety of ratings and rankings of our global performance. Sometimes this is a result of our engagement with them through questionnaires and in-depth discussions, sometimes it is the agencies' own research, in part analysing the data and information we disclose on our website.

For example:

  • Unilever was named the Corporate Responsibility category winner at the FT's Boldness in Business Awards.
  • Unilever retains its top ranking in the latest 2012 Sustainability Leaders survey from GlobeScan/SustainAbility for the second consecutive year.
  • CR Index Platinum Plus 2012 logo  Unilever retains Platinum Plus status in Business in the Community's 10th Corporate Responsibility Index, published in March 2012.

  • Unilever was named joint leader in the Food Products and Soft Drinks sector in the Forest Footprint Disclosure's 2011 Annual Review.  forest footprint disclosure - small

  • Retained SAM Sector Leader and SAM Gold Class Sustainability distinctions from Sustainable Asset Management in 2012. sam combined 2012
  • Unilever topped the 2011 Climate Counts Company Scorecard, a global league table ranking the climate performance of the world's largest companies. Unilever was awarded 88 out of 100 points, an increase of five points on its 2010 score.Climate Counts logo
  • We scored eight out of nine in the second WWF Palm Oil Buyers' Scorecard which assesses the palm oil buying practices of 132 European, Australian and Japanese companies. Unilever is the only company using over 100,000 tonnes of palm oil a year of which more than 50% is purchased from certified sustainable sources.
  • In November 2011 Unilever was announced as the Grand Prix winner at the Sixth International Green Awards.  The overall winner across 20 categories, the Grand Prix looks for "substance over surface, assessing the real difference in terms of changing attitudes and behaviour rather than presenting just an aesthetically pleasing solution".  The judges also announced Unilever  as  the Gold winner in the Best Green International Large Business category. This recognises organisations that have demonstrated true innovation, thought leadership and a commitment to sustainability values that are integrated through the value chain. The Green Awards showcase best-in-class examples of creativity in sustainability in business, government and citizen initiatives. Greenaward logo
  • We scored the top Aaa grade in the Tomorrow's Value Rating 2011 assessment of corporate sustainability practices. The assessment looks at how well leading companies manage their social and environmental impacts, and which are most likely to deliver long-term value as a result of their activities in these areas. Unilever was one of 11 companies to score Aaa, including Danone and Nestle. The research was carried out by the sustainability consultancy, Two Tomorrows. Tomorrows Value Rating
  • Unilever was named most advanced company for responsible governance in the Stoxx Europe 50 index of companies by the French Social Investment Forum (FIR) and corporate responsibility ratings agency, Vigeo. The inaugural FIR-Vigeo awards aim to recognise companies who are leading the integration of corporate social responsibility and corporate governance.
  • We participated in the annual Carbon Disclosure Project for the seventh consecutive year in 2011 achieving a carbon disclosure score of 79% and putting us in carbon performance band B. Carbon Disclosure Project logo
  • Unilever won a Biodiversity Innovation 2010 award from the Union for Ethical BioTrade. This recognised our work on allanblackia and in particular the development of a business model to promote conservation while generating income for smallholder farmers in Africa.
  • Unilever participated in the second request for information from the Forest Footprint Disclosure project in 2010. As in 2009, there was no ranking of companies' performance, just a listing within the relevant industry. Unilever was listed in the food products and soft drinks sector of the FFD Annual Review published in January 2011. 
  • Committed to the Environment Award226Received the International Charter's 'Committed to the Environment 2010' award for environmental management and performance
  • Awards & recognition FTSE logoIncluded in the FTSE4Good Index Series since its inception in 2001 and attained a top environmental score of 5, leading to inclusion in the FTSE4Good Environmental Leaders Europe 40 Index
  • Scored 78% and recognised as 'best practice' at Level 4 by the Natural Value Initiative's Ecosystem Services Benchmark, a tool to help investors assess biodiversity and ecosystem impacts

  • WWF logo125 Placed in tThe Natural Value Initiative logohe top five of 59 European companies in the 2009 Palm Oil Buyers' Scorecard, and rated top of six Australian companies in the 2010 Palm Oil Buyers' Scorecard, both assessments conducted by WWF

  • Top of the foods sector in a benchmarking study carried out by Ceres, UBS and Bloomberg on companies' disclosure of water use

  • Presented with the highest international level of recognition – the Level II International Corporate Health and Productivity Management Award by the Institute for Health and Productivity Management (IHPM) for our Lamplighter programme

National & regional

At national and regional level, our country-based operations – including our manufacturing sites – also receive awards and recognition of various kinds from external organisations. A list of these awards from 2011 will be available to download in mid-2012.