UN and Unilever urge “radical collaboration” across sectors to beat accelerating global warming

04 Nov 2022 --- The UN has released its Adaptation Gap report ahead of COP27 – the global climate summit to be held in Egypt this month. The report finds that global adaptation planning, financing and implementation efforts are increasing. However, efforts are not keeping up with increasing climate risks. In reflection of the immediate need for action, Unilever outlines points for global leaders at COP27 to consider while the report provides insights to personal care and other sectors.

The international community “must urgently increase efforts” to adapt to climate change impacts that are here and for those to come and “must urgently decrease” greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions through a transformation of energy, industry, transport, financial systems and much more, stresses Inger Andersen, executive director at United Nations Environment Programme.

Unilever flags that the world must halve GHG emissions by 2030 to avoid the worst impacts of climate change. However, at the moment, current plans equate to a 10% rise in emissions by 2030, putting the world on track for an increased 2.5°C warming.

As a case, Unilever shares that its Home Care sectors will replace fossil-fuel-derived carbon formulations with renewable or recycled carbon by 2030. This is expected to save product emissions by up to 20%.

Why is this relevant for the industry?Unilever believes that businesses should place sustainability and climate at the heart of their investment plans.
Unilever notes the risk of global warming on businesses as it would impact global supply chains, food security, water access and consumers.

“Already, extreme weather events have disrupted global supply chains and adversely affected the livelihoods of smallholder farmers,” the company stresses as climate change will negatively impact crop yields and raw resources needed to produce products. The increasing water scarcity may also affect the consumer’s ability to use products.

“In most economies, anywhere from 40 to 70% of the economy is the private sector. A lot of investment capital is in the hands of those actors. They can help shape what our economies and societies will look like in the future, so any systemic change to address a big crisis like climate change or nature loss will require businesses to be on board,” says Subhi Barakat, climate action global sustainability manager at Unilever.

Cross-sector alliance
Moving toward climate neutrality requires cross-sectorial initiatives and system-level policy changes.

“Businesses must be part of the solution but can’t do it alone. We need policy frameworks that provide clarity and credibility and incentivize clean growth and investment in low-carbon innovation and building resilience,” adds Unilever.

“There is scope for more radical collaboration between governments, and between governments and businesses, that can accelerate such system-level changes.”

The company believes that businesses should place sustainability and climate at the heart of their investment plans – such companies are likely to prosper, Unilever says.

“Governments and businesses need to work together toward shared objectives, with each playing their complementary part,” adds Barakat.

“Many businesses face similar challenges, so there is value in sharing best practices. It’s essential for companies to work together on the emissions in their shared value chain and the emissions downstream from their products,” says Hannah Hislop, climate action global sustainability manager at Unilever.Global efforts against global waring are not keeping up with increasing climate risks.

Key messages from the UN report
The Too Little, Too Slow report highlights that the adaptation planning, financing and implementation actions are not keeping up with climate impacts. 

Actions are increasing; however, they need to speed up, says the UN.

“To get that ‘ambition loop’ spinning, businesses need to be outspoken about climate and the changes they want to see, and also the barriers to decarbonization they’re facing so that governments can unlock those barriers,” says Hislop.

The organization advises that efforts must consider both adaptations with mitigation in planning, finance and implementation.

Companies can participate through social actions focused on nature, such as planting and conserving mangroves, restoring salt marshes or protecting peatlands.

“What the world needs now”
Unilever notes a need to increase ambition and action, unlock finance for decarbonization and climate resilience and to secure sustainable food and energy systems.

“I deeply believe that COP27 is an opportunity to showcase unity against an existential threat that we can only overcome through concerted action and effective implementation,” says Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, president of the Arab Republic of Egypt.“If businesses apply pressure, then governments can put those laws in place” states Hislop.

As the UN has highlighted the problem of speed and scale of action, Unilever is asking governments to maximize investments in natural and technological solutions. Moreover, they are asking authorities to invest in decarbonization in poorer countries – which will impact growth and supply chains as climate catastrophes will affect vulnerable communities first.

Additionally, Unilever is trying to influence governments to set more robust national plans with ambitious targets to accelerate action. It also underlines the need to ensure a fair and just transition to a net zero future by opening investments.

“If businesses apply pressure, then governments can put those laws in place, which levels the playing field between companies and incentivizes them to go further,” states Hislop.

Beauty in the green space
The personal care space is witnessing a push toward stricter regulations to improve its approach toward greener beauty.

As part of enacting the Green Deal, the European Commission proposed stricter rules on ambient air, surface and groundwater pollutants and urban wastewater treatment to protect human health and ecosystems. These rules would require cosmetic companies to pay to remove “toxic micro-pollutants” from EU wastewater.

Last week, Amyris, and the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) partnered to support WWF’s initiatives to improve ocean health and lessen the negative impacts of fishing on shark populations. Squalene can be derived from shark livers for beauty formulations; however, precision fermentation provides ethical solutions.

Highlighting the risk of greenwashing, Provenance found that while 90% of consumers consider environmental sustainability when buying beauty and wellness products, 79% have difficulty trusting brands’ sustainability claims.

By Venya Patel

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