Brands manufacturer certified as ‘BCorp’ company

AUCKLAND: Consumer brands company Unilever has become a certified BCorporation.

The global manufacturer of a wide range of household brands, including food, personal care and household staples Continental, Magnum, TRESemme, Surf, Persil and Dove, has undergone an operational audit and joined a growing list of New Zealand firms committed to meeting high standards of social and environmental performance.

Unilever NZ is one of 460 businesses in Australasia to receive the certification, and more than 5000 globally. The

BCorp movement promotes transparency and accountability within commercial operations, along with inclusive and equitable workplaces.

Unilever’s laundry business is by far its biggest earner, driven by sales of Persil products. Dove is its highestselling brand within its beauty and care category and Magnum within its Streets ice cream business.

Unilever first began importing into New Zealand 140 years ago and employs about 85 people across the local business, most based in its Auckland head office.

Last year it began piloting a fourday work week paid at full salary for its workforce, an initiative that was assessed as part of the BCorp certification process.

Unilever NZ managing director Cameron Heath said the company had been working towards its Bcorp status over the past 18 months with notforprofit certification company B

Lab. As part of the process, it had to disclose information on how it governs the business, its impacts on both the environment and society and the policies in place for its staff.

To be certified as a BCorp, firms need to score a minimum of 80 points out of 200.

‘‘It has been an 18month process and a lot of rigour has gone behind it and we’re really happy to see what we can contribute to the BCorp movement today but also how we can continue to progress in the

Heath said.

The rising cost of living was on most people’s minds at present, and Unilever was mindful of this, he said.

However, he could not guarantee that Unilever would commit to no price increases on consumer goods over the next few months.

‘‘Future guarantees are not something that we would be able to offer up at the moment. It is a dynamic environment and we future,’’ Mr know over the last two years or so just how quickly things change,’’ Mr Heath said.

‘‘Like most businesses, the times right now are quite ambiguous and fluctuating a lot, so we are constantly keeping an eye on input costs; on shipping costs and the costs of doing business, thinking throughout our operation whether that feeds through efficiency in the way in which we run better buying of materials or the way we bring goods into the country, and our wholesale prices to kind of manage that.’’

Unilever had so far taken a ‘‘multifaceted approach’’ to deal with the situation, he said.

‘‘We’re [working to make sure] we can continue to bring affordable, reliable and quality brands to market to help New Zealanders in their daytoday lives.’’

Mr Heath said New Zealand had been a highperforming market for Unilever, particularly within the grocery sector.

Unilever is a multinational with a market capitalisation of more than $US100 billion ($NZ160 billion). —