Unilever’s Surf, Vim, Domex to be free of fossil fuels; FMCG giant green move for Clean Future

More and more companies have started to realign their policies in the wake of climate change.

Global FMCG giant Unilever’s cleaning brands will soon no longer have fossil fuel ingredients as a part of the company’s Clean Future initiative. As more and more companies start to realign their policies in the wake of climate change, the consumer goods giant said it would invest 1 billion euro (about $1.2 billion) in the effort, and make its cleaning products 100% carbon derived fossil fuel free. By replacing the environment harming product with more sustainable renewable or recycled carbon, the British-Dutch multinational consumer goods company is “set to transform the sustainability of global cleaning and laundry brands including Surf, Sunlight, Vim and Domex,” it said in a statement on Wednesday. Petrochemicals used in these products will now be replaced with ingredients made from plants, and marine sources like algae.

The company has seen a surge in its cleaning products amid the coronavirus pandemic as concerns for health and hygiene spiked. The maker of Dove soap said it was facing unprecedented demand for cleaning products during the coronavirus pandemic but added that it is no excuse to sideline the environment. “We’ve seen unprecedented demand for our cleaning products in recent months… But that should not be a reason for complacency. We cannot let ourselves become distracted from the environmental crises that our world – our home – is facing,” Peter ter Kulve, Unilever’s President of Home Care, said. The €1 billion investment will go towards funding biotechnology research and creating biodegradable and water-efficient products.

What is Unilever’s Clean Future initiative?

Unilever’s ‘Clean Future’ is an innovation programme designed by the company’s Home Care arm to change the way it creates and packages some of its world’s famous cleaning and laundry products. The aim is to reduce carbon footprint by making both manufacturing and packaging sustainable. The chemicals used in Unilever’s cleaning brands alone amount to almost half of the company’s carbon footprint. Replacing them with more sustainable ingredients will cut that footprint by up to 20%.