Unilever has announced that it has become a zero landfill company in Europe after achieving zero non-hazardous waste to landfill at its 242 factories.
The announcement means that Unilever will not contribute to wastes from its premises, logistics operations, and distribution centers in Europe.
The consumer goods company had announced its intention to become a zero waste to landfill company in January 2015. The firm's European business is the first to achieve this target with 63 facilities sending no waste to landfill.
Unilever is aiming to get recognized as a zero waste to landfill company globally by the end of this year.
Unilever chief supply chain officer Pier Luigi Sigismondi was quoted by Foodingredientsfirst.com as saying: "Our zero waste to landfill goal is essential to Unilever's sustainable growth ambitions and we aspire to see an industry wide movement here. In June this year we partnered with peer companies, experts and key stakeholders to get people personally connected with this environmental and social issue.
"We are convinced that only together can we eliminate waste on an unprecedented scale across the globe. Our European teams have reached an important new milestone and proven that the model and mind-set that drove our factory achievements is repeatable outside of a manufacturing environment."
Last year, the company had announced that it had achieved zero waste to landfill in 75% of its facilities, with significant achievements made from Argentina to Indonesia. Under its Unilever Sustainable Living Plan, it aims to singificantly lessen its waste disposal by 2020 than the 2008 levels, even as its business would grow significantly.
Another consumer foods company that has taken steps to achieve sustainability is Nestle, which recently announced that it plans to cut down water usage by 40% across the company's manufacturing sites by the end of this decade.
