Unilever and Solidaridad partnership to improve lives throughout supply chain

Unilever is aiming to improve the lives of one million people in the company's extended supply chains via a new partnership with the non-governmental organisation (NGO) Solidaridad.

The project will focus on promoting gender equity, improving agricultural and labour practices, and supporting young agricultural entrepreneurs and land management. It will also involve greater efforts to sustainably source agricultural raw materials in Asia, Latin America and Asia.

Both organisations will share the responsibility of raising a mix of public and private grants, credit and investments to finance smallholder farmer initiatives, while they will also jointly hire three full-time employees to deliver the programme.

This aligns with the objectives of the company's Responsible Sourcing Policy, through which the firm intends to increase their positive social impact.

Dhaval Buch, chief procurement officer at Unilever, said: "This partnership helps drive real change across our value chain. We are branching into new areas, which is why it is so important to have the experience and knowledge of an NGO like Solidaridad."

This comes after the firm recently formed a new alliance with the World Resources Institute to help improve supply chain transparency and bring an end to tropical deforestation.