Hindustan Unilever Limited (HUL) has identified five key platforms to drive the company?s long term sustainability strategy. Speaking at the 75th annual general meeting of the FMCG major, chairman Harish Manwani said that the company would work in the areas of health and nutrition and women empowerment on the social front, enhancing livelihood on the economic front, and focusing on water conservation and cutting green house gases on the environmental front.
On the social front, the company will endeavour to enhance livelihood of 75,000 women in a sustainable manner. “Our leading food brand, Kissan, is targeting to source agricultural raw materials from primary producers. The company would pass on the entire economic benefits of this backward integration back to the farmers. In the environmental area, the company will initiate rain water harvesting activities around 10 of its manufacturing units,” said Manwani.
While answering to a volley of questions by the shareholders present at the meeting, Manwani said that due to the duty reductions announced, the company has priced its product competitively. ?Our 50 grams pack of Lux soap is reduced by Re 1 to cost Rs 5 and even the 100 grams bar now costs Rs 16 instead of Rs 17,” said Manwani, adding that their current market share for shampoos is over 47% and nearly 55% in the skin care products.
He also said that the company is constantly exploring ways to make their balance sheet more efficient. “We are trying to unlock the value of our properties across the country, of which the one in Chennai is already disposed off,? he said.
Despite the pressure of the rupee appreciation against the dollar, export business grew by 5%. ?During the year, some of the activities were re-structured to prune costs and improve productivity,? he said. The company is also in the process of a national rollout of their latest initiative Pureit, the advanced in-home water purification system in the world.