All About Our Action On Climate Change
Urgent global action is needed to tackle the climate emergency.
The science is clear: we must keep global warming to no more than 1.5⁰C above pre-industrial levels to prevent the worst effects of climate change, which would have a devastating impact on people and environments around the world.
At Degree we’re committed to being part of the solution. As part of the Unilever family we’re taking action to reduce our climate impact in many different ways; from using renewable energy, to transforming our transportation and reducing our carbon footprint. Let’s take a look at some of those areas in more detail.
Using renewable energy
What are our ambitions?
Across Unilever we’re determined to make a difference by switching to renewable energy sources. To achieve our ambitious target of becoming carbon positive by 2030, we’re eliminating fossil fuels from our operations, and directly supporting the generation of more renewable energy than we consume.
How are we making a difference?
All of Degree’s in-house deodorant factories use 100% renewable grid electricity. In fact, across five continents, all Unilever factories, offices, R&D facilities, data centres, single user warehouses and distribution centres do the same. We’re also supporting the development of local renewable energy markets by championing solar, wind, hydropower and geothermal sources of energy. In addition, we generate our own power through on-site solar installations at factories in 23 countries. These actions all contribute to our growing fight against climate change, so that we can all continue to move safely and confidently in the spaces we love.
Transforming our transportation
What are our ambitions?
Unilever’s distribution network currently transports our finished goods over 1.5 billion kilometres each year from our factories to the places where they’re sold. To help reduce our total carbon footprint across Unilever, we’re rethinking every aspect of our distribution and exploring more eco-efficient ways to get our products to you.
How are we making a difference?
We’ve reduced the distances we need to travel by increasing our number of distribution centres, and working with our logistics partners to plan smarter routes and fill our trucks fuller. This means we can transport more goods in one go, with less wasted space and journeys. As an example, in Europe we’ve optimised the design of our pallets to transform how we stack our products for distribution. This will reduce CO2 emissions generated by our product transportation in Europe by 30% in just one year. In China and South East Asia, we’re also improving the way our products are distributed by shipping directly to the regional distribution centers. This significantly reduces the number of shipments in the flow, as well as the kilometres travelled.
We’re also looking into using more efficient vehicles which use alternative fuels with lower carbon emissions. In France and Germany we’re expanding our use of liquefied natural gas (LNG) and BioLNG. And across Unilever we’re exploring the possibilities of hydrogen and fuel cells infrastructure. These innovative new fuels and technologies are the future, and will help us to continue making big reductions to the carbon footprint of our logistics.
*comparing 2020 to 2021
Reducing our carbon footprint
What are our ambitions?
We’re proud to support Unilever’s ambitious goals. Together we aim to halve the greenhouse gas impact of our products by 2030. This includes all phases of our product lifecycle, ingredients and raw materials, manufacturing, distribution, retail, packaging, consumer use and disposal. Furthermore, we’re determined to reduce our direct and indirect greenhouse gas emissions by 100% from our own operations, which is part of our bold ambition to become carbon positive in our manufacturing by 2030.
How are we making a difference?
By improving our energy efficiency, embracing clean new technologies and switching to renewable energy sources, we’ve already significantly reduced our carbon footprint. But we also know that we can’t create a low-carbon economy alone. So we’re using our role as industry leaders to influence wider change and accelerating climate action with partners, suppliers and governments.
We’re taking a range of initiatives to reduce the greenhouse gases that result from the materials and packaging used in the production of our products. We’re introducing recycled aluminum in our aerosols. We’re exploring new technologies to replace our current materials and processes. We’re developing reusable and refillable product concepts. And through our ‘Less & Better Plastic’ programme, we’re developing lightweight deodorant spray nozzles, introducing recycled plastic (PCR) across our products, reducing the amount of plastic we use, and developing new packaging that’s easier to recycle.
At Degree, we’re also working hard to ensure the emissions from our aerosols have the minimum impact on our environment. We’re constantly searching for new compounds that are low in both GHG emissions and VOCs.
Just like you, at Degree® we never stand still. We’re doing everything we can to reduce our emissions, reduce our waste and drive progress towards a low-carbon, sustainable future for our planet. With your help, we know we’ll get there.