Our approach to sustainability is about delivering impact faster with more focused, urgent, and systemic action across our four sustainability priorities: climate, nature, plastics, and livelihoods.
In the U.S., our efforts around nature are focused on implementing regenerative agriculture practices – both within our operations and influencing practices externally. On a global level, our nature commitments include maintaining our deforestation-free sourcing, implementing water stewardship programmes, and increasing the sustainable sourcing of key crops.
Regenerative Practices for Our Ingredients
Regenerative Practices for Our Ingredients
Unilever aims to support regenerative agriculture practices across 2.4 million acres of land globally by 2030.
Unilever USA has led the way, pioneering efforts within Unilever and serving as a model for scale globally. In 2024, we sourced key crops for our Hellmann’s and Knorr products from over 200,000 acres of U.S. land with regenerative practices applied.
Since 2018, Hellmann’s has been working with Practical Farmers of Iowa, PepsiCo, and soybean supplier ADM to better protect soil health for soybean farming in the U.S.
Learn more about the Unilever project in Iowa here: From farm to film: Saving soil, protecting livelihoods.
Unilever is also working in partnership with wheat supplier PMC to lead a project that supports Knorr’s supply chain. Regenerative agriculture practices are helping to tackle the challenge of drought risks in wheat farming in North Dakota.
Our regenerative agriculture principles (PDF 8.34 MB) help to highlight practices including no-till farming, where the soil is left undisturbed to preserve its structure, and cover cropping, where plants are grown to protect soil health. Precision agriculture is used to enhance resource efficiency. By optimizing irrigation, nutrient application and pest control, farmers can reduce their dependency on chemical fertilizers.
Advocacy for Regenerative Farming
Advocacy for Regenerative Farming
We advocate for local and national U.S. policies that promote farmer resilience and protect the long-term supply of key ingredients for our products. This includes support for the U.S. Farm Bill to address water quality and water conservation issues, to promote regenerative agriculture practices, and to improve long-term soil health.
Achieving More Together
Achieving More Together
We partner with American Farmland Trust, Field to Market, Midwest Row Crop Collaborative, and other organizations to help U.S. farmers adopt regenerative agriculture practices. Through these collaborations, we support policies, programs, and tools that protect farmland, improve soil health, and enhance water conservation — key priorities in building a more resilient and sustainable food system.
