Unilever : Don’t bottle out of recycling, PLEDGE4PLASTICS instead

11/09/2014

The campaign is being led by plastics recycling body Recoup, which aims to make the public more aware of house collection services and increase the amount of plastic recycled. Knowing that five billion plastic bottles were sent to UK landfill sites last year, the campaign urges people to make a promise to recycle just one extra plastic bottle per household each week using their existing services.

To highlight the many ways plastic can be given a new life if recycled correctly, Abigail Ahern, who recently starred in Channel 4's Get Your House in Order, has channelled her distinct quirky style to design her first ever bespoke phone cover, which is made from 80 percent recycled plastic bottles.

One thousand limited edition phone covers  have been designed exclusively for Pledge 4 Plastics, to reward those who register their support online throughout September at pledge4plastics.co.uk or tweet @pledge4plastics.

Unilever has pledged its support for the initiative - a campaign which underpins the work the company is already doing as part of the Unilever Sustainable Living Plan to increase recycling by an average of 15 per cent in our top 14 markets by 2020.

Charlotte Carroll, Communications Director, Unilever UK & Ireland said: ''Tackling national environmental issues, such as plastic recycling, is challenging and can't be achieved by companies working in silo - it requires organisations to come together, and pool their expertise to make a real difference and raise consumer awareness. We are delighted to provide our full support to the Pledge 4 Plastics campaign and work alongside other consumer goods manufacturers, governments and NGOs. The campaign supports the progress we have already made in this area in the UK and beyond as part of our Sustainable Living Plan."

It's important to remember that Pledge 4 Plastics is not just about recycling water and drinks bottles, it includes all types of plastic bottles, from every room in the house, ranging from shampoo bottles and shower gels to domestic bleach bottles and cooking oil. Not forgetting to recycle food pots, tubs and trays (like yoghurt pots, margarine tubs and lasagne trays), where Local Authorities collect them for recycling, will help to reduce the amount of plastics that goes to landfill.

-Ends-

Unilever is one of the world's leading suppliers of Food, Home and Personal Care products with sales in over 190 countries. Our products are present in 7 out of 10 homes globally and are used by over 2 billion people on a daily basis. We work with 171,000 colleagues around the world, and we are on track to generate annual sales of €50 billion in 2012. Over half of our company's footprint is in the faster growing developing and emerging markets (56% in 2011). Working to create a better future every day, we help people feel good, look good and get more out of life. Our portfolio includes some of the world's best known brands such as Knorr, Persil , Dove, Hellmann's, TRESemmé, Lipton, Sure, Wall's and Lynx.

Our ambition is to double the size of our business, whilst reducing our overall environmental footprint (including sourcing, consumer use and disposal) and increasing our positive social impact. We are committed to helping more than a billion people take action to improve their health and well-being, sourcing all our agricultural raw materials sustainably by 2020, and decoupling our growth from our environmental impact. Supporting our three big goals are more than 50 time-based targets. See more on the Unilever Sustainable Living Plan at www.unilever.com/sustainable-living/(Link opens in a new window) .

Unilever has been recognised in the Dow Jones Sustainability World Indexes for 14 consecutive years. We are included in the FTSE4Good Index Series and attained a top environmental score of 5, leading to inclusion in the FTSE4Good Environmental Leaders Europe 40 Index. In 2011 Unilever led the Climate Counts Company Scorecard and for the second year topped the list of Global Corporate Sustainability Leaders in the GlobeScan / SustainAbility latest annual survey (2012). The company is an employer of choice in many of the countries in which it operates and is seen as a symbol for innovation and leadership development.

For more information about Unilever and its brands, please visit www.unilever.co.uk