MBS Inspiration

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    is one of the world’s leading executive search firms operating exclusively in Retail, Consumer and relevant technologies, and the most successful sector-specialist firm in the UK

Beyond window dressing

Posted: 02 July 2010

This week, I had the pleasure of meeting one of the leading lights in Unilever. As an FMCG giant that touches over two billion people daily (that’s how many people buy or use their products!), Unilever embraces the fact that issues such as poverty, malnutrition, climate change and water scarcity are not just academic issues, but real challenges that need to be addressed, and directly by them.

In 2005, the Unilever Executive decided that social, economic and environmental factors should be embedded into the development and innovation plans of their brands. To help evaluate risks and opportunities, they developed an approach called “Brand Imprint”. This gives their brand teams a 360º scan of the social, economic and environmental impact that each brand has on the world. In addition, each brand has a multi-disciplinary team that conducts a detailed assessment (drawing on consumer and stakeholder research) of the direct and indirect impact of their products across the value chain, now and in the future. The best thing in all of this, is that it is not just “CSR department window dressing”: it is a powerful fusion of brand marketing and caring for humanity.

Please share with me any companies that you know are leading the way in sustainability and corporate responsibility. Have a wonderful weekend, moira@thembsgroup.co.uk



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