Unilever Named As An Industry Leader in Dow Jones Sustainability Index

LONDON and ROTTERDAM, Sept. 20, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Unilever has been named leader of the Household and Personal Products Industry Group in the 2016 Dow Jones Sustainability Index (DJSI). It is one of only 24 companies to be awarded Industry Group Leader status.

Unilever achieved an overall score of 92 out of a possible 100.

Unilever led the industry in 14 out of the 22 Personal Products criteria, including: Corporate Governance; Brand Management; Materiality; Supply Chain Management; Packaging; Labour Practices Indicators & Human Rights; and Corporate Citizenship & Philanthropy.

2016 is the first year Unilever has been included in Household and Personal Products as this is where Unilever now sits in MSCI and S&P's Global Industry Classification Standard. Previously Unilever was in the Food Products sector within the Food, Beverage & Tobacco Industry Group, which the company led for 15 years.

Jeff Seabright, Chief Sustainability Officer, says: "We are proud to be awarded industry leadership as first time members in the Household and Personal Products Industry Group. The results reflect the continued progress we are making in delivering the Unilever Sustainable Living Plan, driving long-term sustainable business growth and achieving our vision of making sustainable living commonplace."

The DJSI is a globally recognised independent benchmark that assesses – and ranks – the economic, environmental and social performance of companies. It is the longest-running global sustainability benchmark system and has become a key reference point for investors and businesses alike.

The DJSI Industry Group Leader Report, compiled by RobecoSAM in collaboration with the S&P Dow Jones Indices, states: "Unilever has established itself as the leader in the personal care industry. Strong innovation and a focus on areas of product stewardship such as packaging and raw material sourcing are embedded in the company's strategy. Sustainability is at the core of Unilever's vision, and this is evident throughout its operations."

Notes to editors

For more information on the DJSI annual review 2016 results, including the S&P Dow Jones Indices/RobecoSAM press release and the Industry Group Leader Report, please visit www.sustainability-indices.com.

About Unilever:

Unilever is one of the world's leading suppliers of Food, Home, Personal Care and Refreshment products with sales in over 190 countries and reaching 2 billion consumers a day. It has 169,000 employees and generated sales of €53.3 billion in 2015. Over half (58%) of the company's footprint is in developing and emerging markets. Unilever has more than 400 brands found in homes around the world, including Persil, Dove, Knorr, Domestos, Hellmann's, Lipton, Wall's, PG Tips, Ben & Jerry's, Marmite, Magnum and Lynx.

Unilever's Sustainable Living Plan commits to:

• Helping more than a billion people take action to improve their health and well-being by 2020.
• Halving the environmental impact of our products by 2030.
• Enhancing the livelihoods of millions of people by 2020.

Unilever was ranked number one in its sector in the 2016 Dow Jones Sustainability Index. In the FTSE4Good Index, it achieved the highest environmental score of 5. It led the list of Global Corporate Sustainability Leaders in the 2016 GlobeScan/SustainAbility annual survey for the sixth year running. Unilever was ranked the most sustainable food and beverage company in Oxfam's Behind the Brands Scorecard in 2016 for the second year.

For more information about Unilever and its brands, please visit www.unilever.com. For more information on the USLP: www.unilever.com/sustainable-living/