Unilever was looking for ways to tie consumer purchases to creating social good and improving outcomes for people in the developing world
Back in 2010, Unilever launched its Sustainable Living Plan, which set out to double the size of its business while reducing the company's environmental footprint and increasing its positive social impact.
To assist Unilever in delivering on its ambitious goals, a partnership program was created with Walgreens to help Unilever create direct impacts tied to product purchases through the Give H2OPE to Others initiative.
Under the unique partnership, purchases made at Walgreens of select Unilever products (TRESemmé, Suave and Caress) facilitated up to 15 million gallons of clean water being provided to developing communities.
The donations triggered from each product purchase led to a supply of clean water that reduced the incidence of waterborne disease and illness, cut time spent collecting water, allowing students to spend more time in the classroom and allowed for increased time spent on productive activities like farming or working.
The partnership also helped Unilever develop and deliver its Project Sunlight program, which provided grants to students who submitted social impact projects for possible funding from the company. Students worked to create proposals for community-based projects that would lead to positive change.
Successful recipients were awarded funds and were charged with documenting their projects and measuring their success.
Through the overall partnership, Unilever was able to create several programs that contributed to making progress against the rigorous goals it established to enhance livelihoods for millions around the world.
