Unilever takes top honour for responsible business

Unilever has taken home the top gong in Business in the Community's (BITC's) thirteenth Awards for Excellence.

The global food and consumer products giant picks up the title of "Company of the Year 2010" for its work enhancing the social, environmental and economic impact of its brands at every stage of the product lifecycle.

With two billion people using Unilever products on any given day, the company has recognised that the potential for its consumers and customers to make a big difference is enormous, if – through its products – it encourages each of them to take small actions to improve their sustainability.

Stephen Howard, chief executive of Business in the Community, said: "The companies entering the Awards for Excellence have really raised the bar this year, despite the tough times we are operating in. The overall Example of Excellence winners should know that they have beaten off some seriously stiff competition to gain these titles. 

"It's not always what we do but how we do it that matters, so I'm inspired that many companies continually strive to better themselves, to tackle the challenges we face, and ensure corporate responsibility is at the heart of everything they do. The winners should be rightly proud."

Philip Green, United Utilities chief executive, said: "Unilever is an outstanding example to others and a worthy winner of the title Company of the Year 2010. I am proud to hand on the responsibility of this prestigious award to a company that can demonstrate a long-standing commitment to responsible business. 

"What is really impressive is how Unilever has realistically appraised the impact of its products across the whole life cycle and built sustainability into product design. Through this it can change consumer behaviour as well as find innovative ways to improve the impact of products for its customers and our planet. Unilever is showing us all that business success goes hand in hand with responsible leadership."

Amanda Sourry from Unilever, said: "We are delighted to be named Business in the Community's 'Company of the Year'. Business has a great responsibility and opportunity to create and enable positive change, for both society and the environment, particularly in such turbulent economic times. In the long run, we believe it will be the businesses, which do the right thing, in the right way, to the best of their talents, which will ultimately prosper.

"We have already declared our ambition to double the size of our business while reducing our environmental impact across our entire value chain.

"This recognition inspires us to go further and faster – working with our consumers, business partners, employees, their communities and other partners throughout the UK and Ireland – to continue to deliver against our Sustainable Development goals and, importantly, their expectations of Unilever."

Words: Clare Riley

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