Unilever joins COP26 as a Principal Partner

Unilever has been named a Principal Partner for the vital climate change summit, COP26, taking place in Glasgow this November.

The owner of brands such as Dove, Knorr, The Vegetarian Butcher and Persil/Omo is the eleventh and final Principal Partner which will support the delivery of a successful and ambitious COP26. They join SSE, ScottishPower, NatWest Group, National Grid, Sky, Sainsbury’s, Hitachi, Reckitt, GSK and Microsoft.

Through these partnerships, the COP26 Presidency is showing a clear commitment to working with businesses who are taking real steps towards net zero.

Unilever is already committed to a 1.5 aligned science-based target to reduce operational emissions to zero by 2030, through their business strategy, the Unilever Compass which also includes achieving net zero emissions across the value chain by 2039. Earlier this year, Unilever put its Climate Transition Action Plan before a shareholder vote; the first company of its size to voluntarily do so.

Unilever and the UK Government are already working together with other partners to explore the viability of hydrogen as an alternative to natural gas to fuel manufacturing plants. Unilever is also a member of the UK’s Global Resource Initiative Taskforce which convenes leaders from businesses and environmental groups to reduce the impact of UK supply chains on the world’s forests and other natural ecosystems.

In the run up to November Unilever is using their leading position as a COP26 Business Leader to drive climate ambition through the global consumer goods sector.

COP26 President-Designate, Alok Sharma, said:

“With just over three months to go until COP26, I am delighted to welcome Unilever as our final Principal Partner.

“Tackling climate change is one of the greatest and most urgent challenges we face, and companies like Unilever are showing climate leadership through science-based targets and finding alternative, cleaner ways of working.

“We now have 11 Principal Partners for the summit, all of whom are helping us ensure COP26 is a success. I look forward to working with Unilever and all of our Partners as we continue our work ahead of the summit.”

Unilever CEO, Alan Jope, said:

“Without decisive action on a global scale, climate change is the biggest long-term risk to Unilever’s business, and I know we are not unique in this. Taking decisive action to help address climate change is not only important for people and the planet, it’s also critical for business. Unilever is proud to be a Principal Partner of COP26.

“We look forward to working with the UK Government and other partners to galvanise ambitious commitments from governments and the private sector, and to inspire and empower people around the world to take action. Together, we can seize the opportunity to build a stronger, greener and more resilient economy.”