Unilever facts for kids
Logo since 2004
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Unilever House in London
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| Industry | Consumer goods |
| Predecessors |
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| Founded | 2 September 1929 |
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| Headquarters | Unilever House, , |
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Area served
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Worldwide |
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Key people
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| Brands | See list of brands |
| Revenue |  €59.604 billion (2023) |
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Operating income
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€9.758 billion (2023) |
| €7.140 billion (2023) |
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| Total assets | €75.266 billion (2023) |
| Total equity | €20.764 billion (2023) |
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Number of employees
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127,000 (2024) |
Unilever PLC is a big British company that sells many everyday products. It was created on September 2, 1929. This happened when a British soap maker, Lever Brothers, joined with a Dutch company called Margarine Unie. Unilever's main office is in London, England.
Unilever makes a huge variety of products. These include baby food, beauty items, bottled water, and breakfast cereals. They also make cleaning products, condiments, ice cream, and instant coffee. You might also know their pet food, soft drinks, tea, and toothpaste. Unilever is the world's largest maker of soap. Its products are sold in more than 190 countries around the globe.
Some of Unilever's most famous brands are Axe (also known as Lynx), Ben & Jerry's, Dove, and Hellmann's. Other popular brands include Knorr, Lifebuoy, Lux, Magnum, Omo (also called Persil), Rexona, Sunlight, Sunsilk, and Wall's (Heartbrand). The company is split into five main groups: Beauty & Wellbeing, Personal Care, Home Care, Nutrition, and Ice Cream. They have research centers in places like China, India, the Netherlands, the UK, and the USA.
Over the years, Unilever has grown by buying many other companies. They bought Lipton (in 1971), Brooke Bond (1984), and Pond's (1987). More recently, they acquired Hellmann's (2000), Ben & Jerry's (2000), and Dollar Shave Club (2016). In the 2010s, Unilever started to focus more on health and beauty brands. This was because food brands were not growing as fast.
Unilever's shares are mainly traded on the London Stock Exchange. They are also listed on the Euronext Amsterdam. The company is part of important stock market lists like the FTSE 100 Index and the AEX index.
Contents
How Unilever Started and Grew
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Early Years: 1920s to 1940s
Unilever was created in September 1929. It was a merger between a Dutch company, Margarine Unie, and a British soap maker, Lever Brothers. The name "Unilever" comes from combining parts of both company names.
In the 1930s, the company grew a lot. They started new businesses in Africa and Latin America. During this time, Unilever bought the United Africa Company. This company was formed from a merger of two other trading companies.
During World War II, the Nazis took over much of Europe. This meant Unilever could not invest money there. Instead, they bought new businesses in the United Kingdom and the United States. For example, in 1943, they bought T. J. Lipton and a large part of Frosted Foods (which owned the Birds Eye brand in the UK). They also bought Batchelors Peas, a big vegetable canning company. In 1944, they bought Pepsodent.
In 1933, Unilever Indonesia was set up. It had factories in different parts of Indonesia.
Growth and Changes: 1940s to 1980s
After 1945, Unilever's American businesses, like Lever Brothers, started to struggle. So, Unilever let the American managers run things more independently.
New products were launched, like Sunsilk in the UK in 1954 and Dove in the US in 1957. Unilever took full control of Frosted Foods in 1957 and renamed it Birds Eye. They also bought the American ice cream company Good Humor in 1961.
By the mid-1960s, soap and edible fats still made up about half of Unilever's profits. But the market for products like margarine was not growing. Also, there was more competition from companies like Procter & Gamble. This made Unilever decide to make a wider range of products. In 1971, Unilever bought Lipton Ltd. In 1978, they bought National Starch for a large sum of money. This was the biggest foreign purchase of a US company at that time.
By the end of the 1970s, Unilever had bought many ice cream companies. They owned 30% of the ice cream market in Western Europe. In 1982, Unilever decided to focus more on fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG). These are products that sell quickly and at a low cost.
In 1984, Unilever bought Brooke Bond, which makes PG Tips tea. In 1986, they bought Ponds, which makes skin care products like Pond's Creams and Vaseline. In 1989, Unilever bought Calvin Klein Cosmetics and Fabergé. However, they later sold Elizabeth Arden in 2000.
Expanding Globally: 1990s to 2000s
In 1992, Unilever Ghana was formed by merging two existing companies. In 1993, Unilever bought Breyers from Kraft. This made Unilever the biggest ice cream maker in the United States.
In 1996, Unilever combined some of its UK businesses. They also bought Helene Curtis. This greatly increased their share of the shampoo and deodorant market in the US. This purchase brought them brands like Suave, Finesse, and Degree.
In 1997, Unilever sold its special chemicals division to Imperial Chemical Industries for a lot of money. In 1998, Unilever started a program to support sustainable agriculture.
In 2000, Unilever bought several well-known brands. These included Ben & Jerry's and SlimFast. They also bought Bestfoods for a very large amount. This deal added brands like Knorr, Marmite, and Hellmann's to Unilever's food products. To get approval for this deal, Unilever had to sell some other brands.
New Focus and Sales: 2000s to 2020s
In 2001, Unilever split into two main parts: one for foods and one for home and personal care products. In the UK, they combined their Lever Brothers and Elida Faberge businesses.
In 2003, Unilever decided to sell its Dalda brand in India and Pakistan. Bunge Limited bought the Dalda brand in India. In 2004, Unilever Bangladesh changed its name from Lever Brothers Bangladesh Ltd.
In 2007, Unilever started working with Rainforest Alliance. Their goal was to get all their tea from sustainable sources.
In 2009, Unilever agreed to buy the personal care business of Sara Lee Corporation. This included brands like Radox. This deal was finished in 2010. In 2010, Unilever also bought Alberto-Culver, which makes personal care products like Simple, VO5, and TRESemmé.
In 2012, Unilever said it would stop using microplastics (tiny plastic beads) in its personal care products by 2015.
In 2014, Unilever bought a large part of Qinyuan, a water purification company in China. They also bought Talenti Gelato & Sorbetto. They acquired the Camay brand globally and the Zest brand outside of North America from Procter & Gamble.
In 2015, Unilever bought the British skincare brand REN Skincare. They also bought the Italian ice cream maker GROM. Unilever also separated its food spreads business. This included brands like Flora and I Can't Believe It's Not Butter!. This new company was called Unilever Baking, Cooking and Spreading. This was done because sales in that product area were going down.
Unilever bought the American startup company Dollar Shave Club for a lot of money. They wanted to compete in the male grooming market. In 2016, Unilever also bought Blueair, which makes air purifiers. They also acquired Seventh Generation Inc. and Living Proof Inc., a hair care company.
In 2017, a smaller company called Kraft Heinz tried to buy Unilever for a huge amount of money. Unilever said no to the deal. In 2017, Unilever bought Sir Kensington's, a condiment maker. They also bought personal care and home care brands from Quala, a Latin American company. In June, they bought Hourglass, a makeup brand. In July, they acquired Pukka Herbs, an organic herbal tea business. In September 2017, Unilever bought Weis, an Australian ice cream business. They also bought Carver Korea, a skincare business. In October 2017, Unilever acquired Mãe Terra, a Brazilian natural food business. In November, they bought the Tazo tea brand from Starbucks. Later that month, they acquired Sundial Brands, another skincare company. In December 2017, Unilever bought Schmidt's Naturals, a US natural deodorant and soap company. Also in December 2017, Unilever sold its margarine and spreads division to an investment firm for €6.8 billion. This sale was completed in July 2018. The new company was named Upfield. Its brands include Flora and I Can't Believe It's Not Butter.
Unilever announced that it would donate over €100 million to help with the global COVID-19 pandemic. This included donations of soap, hand sanitizer, bleach, and food.
Recent Developments: 2021 to Present
In April 2021, Unilever created a new beauty business called Elida Beauty. This business now owns and manages brands like Brut, Brylcreem, and TIGI.
In November 2021, Unilever agreed to sell most of its tea business, called Ekaterra, to an investment firm for €4.5 billion. This deal did not include Unilever's tea business in India, Indonesia, and Nepal. It also did not include the Lipton Ice Tea joint-venture with PepsiCo. The deal was completed in summer 2022.
In December 2023, Unilever announced it would sell Elida Beauty to a private equity firm in the United States.
In March 2024, Unilever shared plans to separate its ice cream business into its own company. This unit makes brands like Magnum and Ben & Jerry's. This change is expected to be finished by the end of 2025. This plan is part of a program to save money, which will also mean cutting 7,500 jobs.
How Unilever Works
Company Structure
Unilever used to have a special "Anglo-Dutch" structure with two main companies, Unilever PLC and Unilever N.V. Its main office is at Unilever House in London, United Kingdom. The company has changed its structure several times over the years.
In 2018, Unilever wanted to simplify this structure. They planned to have just one main office in Rotterdam, Netherlands. However, shareholders in the United Kingdom were worried. They thought the company might lose value if it left the London FTSE100 stock index. So, the plan was canceled in October 2018.
In October 2018, Unilever bought a large part of Equilibra, an Italian personal-care business. They also bought The Laundress, a company that makes eco-friendly cleaning products. In 2018, Unilever was named one of the best private sector employers in the UK.
In 2020, Unilever looked at its structure again. They decided to combine Unilever N.V. into Unilever PLC. This would create one main company based in the United Kingdom. In September 2020, shareholders in the Dutch part of Unilever voted to merge with the UK company. In October 2020, 99% of shareholders in the UK part also agreed. The merger was completed on November 30, 2020. Now, there is only one type of share for the company.
Who Leads Unilever
In January 2019, Alan Jope became the chief executive officer (CEO) of Unilever. He took over from Paul Polman. The chief financial officer is Graeme Pitkethly.
In November 2019, Unilever announced that Nils Andersen would become the new Chairman. He replaced Marijn Dekkers.
In January 2023, Hein Schumacher was announced as the new CEO. He started in July 2023.
Unilever Buildings Around the World
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Unilever R&D Centre in Bangalore, India
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Unilever R&D Centre in Colworth, United Kingdom
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Unilever R&D Centre in Port Sunlight, United Kingdom
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Unilever-Haus in Hamburg, Germany
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Soap factory in Mannheim, Germany
Money Matters
| Year | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 |
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| Revenue | 46.467 | 51.324 | 49.797 | 48.436 | 53.272 | 52.713 | 53.715 | 50.982 | 51.980 | 50.724 | 52.444 | 60.073 | 59.604 |
| Net Income | 4.252 | 4.480 | 4.842 | 5.171 | 4.909 | 5.184 | 6.053 | 9.389 | 5.625 | 5.581 | 6.621 | 8.269 | 7.140 |
| Assets | 29.583 | 30.351 | 28.131 | 28.385 | 32.279 | 35.873 | 37.108 | 39.684 | 64.806 | 67.659 | 75.095 | 77.821 | 75.266 |
| Employees | 171,000 | 172,000 | 174,000 | 173,000 | 169,000 | 169,000 | 165,000 | 158,000 | 153,000 | 155,000 | 149,000 | 148,000 | 127,000 |
Where Unilever Operates
The United States, China, and India are very important markets for Unilever. Together, they make up more than one-third of the company's total sales.
Thirteen of Unilever's brands bring in more than half of its total sales.
Brands and Advertising
Unilever's biggest international rivals are Nestlé and Procter & Gamble.
Unilever's Logo
In 1930, Unilever's logo was a simple, all-caps design. The current Unilever logo was introduced in 2004. It was designed by a company called Wolff Olin. The 'U' shape in the logo is made up of 25 different symbols. Each symbol stands for one of Unilever's brands or its company values. The idea behind the logo was "adding vitality to life."
Popular Brands
Dove Products
Dove says its goal is to help "women feel good about how they look." They want to help women build their self-esteem and reach their full potential. Dove uses its advertising to share messages about positive self-image. In September 2004, Dove started a "Real Beauty" campaign. This campaign showed women of all shapes, sizes, and colors. In 2007, the campaign grew to include women of all ages. These ads were mostly on TV and became popular online.
Lynx/Axe Products
Axe is a brand of toiletries for young men. It is known as Lynx in the United Kingdom, Ireland, Australia, and New Zealand. Unlike Dove's long-running campaign, Lynx ads often create short series of commercials. These ads usually focus on one product.
Company Support
From 2000 to 2012, Unilever supported art projects at the Tate Modern museum. These projects were known as The Unilever Series.
Unilever and the Environment
Palm Oil and Forests
In 2014, Greenpeace criticized Unilever. They said Unilever was causing deforestation by buying palm oil from certain suppliers. In 2008, Greenpeace UK said that some suppliers were harming Indonesia's rainforests. At that time, Indonesia was losing 2% of its rainforests each year. This was the fastest rate of deforestation in any country. The United Nations Environment Programme said that palm oil farms are the main reason for deforestation in Indonesia.
Indonesia was also a big emitter of greenhouse gases. This was largely because rainforests were being destroyed for the palm oil industry. This destruction added to 4% of global greenhouse gas emissions. Greenpeace said that palm oil farms were expanding without enough checks from the government. Rules about environmental impact and land use were often ignored. Farms were being set up in areas where they were not allowed. Also, people often used illegal fires to clear forest areas.
Unilever is a founding member of the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO). In response to the criticism, Unilever announced a plan. They aimed to get all their palm oil from sources that are certified as sustainable by 2015. Unilever says it met this goal in 2012. They are also encouraging the rest of the industry to become 100% sustainable by 2020.
In Côte d'Ivoire, one of Unilever's palm oil suppliers was accused of clearing forests for farms. This activity threatened a type of primate called Miss Waldron's red colobus. Unilever stepped in to stop the clearing. They waited for an environmental check to be done.
A report from Amnesty International in 2016 said that Unilever's palm oil supplier, Wilmar International, benefited from child labour and forced labour. Some workers were forced to work, threatened, or not paid. Some workers were badly hurt by dangerous chemicals. In 2016, Wilmar International was the world's largest palm oil grower.
Plastic Waste
In 2019, BreakFreeFromPlastic named Unilever as one of the top ten global plastic polluters. Unilever produces 6.4 billion plastic sachets each year that cannot be recycled.
However, in 2019, Unilever announced a plan. They aim to cut their non-recycled plastic packaging in half by 2025. In 2020, Unilever joined 13 EU countries and over 60 companies. They signed an agreement to use recycled plastic for all plastic packaging and single-use plastic products by 2025.
In June 2022, a Reuters report said that Unilever had tried to influence governments in India and the Philippines. They wanted to stop laws that would ban selling cosmetics in single-use plastic sachets. This was despite Unilever promising in 2020 to stop using them. A Unilever executive had called the design of these sachets "evil" because they cannot be recycled. The proposed bans were then dropped by lawmakers. In Sri Lanka, the company tried to get the government to rethink a proposed ban on sachets. They then tried to work around the ban after rules were put in place.
Rainforest Alliance Certification
Unilever uses the Rainforest Alliance to certify its tea products. The company has said that at least 50% of the tea in its products comes from certified farms. The Rainforest Alliance requires a minimum of 30%. Unilever chose this certification over Fairtrade. They believed Fairtrade might not be big or flexible enough to certify large tea farms.
The Rainforest Alliance certification has been criticized. Some say it does not offer farmers a minimum or guaranteed price. This leaves them open to changes in market prices. The Fairtrade certificate has received similar criticism. The Rainforest Alliance certification has also been criticized for allowing its seal on products that only have 30% certified content. Some people believe this harms the trust in the certification.
Images for kids
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Global employment at Unilever 2000–08
Black represents employment numbers in Europe, light grey represents the Americas and dark grey represents Asia and Africa.
Between 2000 and 2008 Unilever reduced global workforce numbers by 41%, from 295,000 to 174,000.
See Also
In Spanish: Unilever para niños
- List of food companies
