TORONTO, March 30, 2020 /CNW/ - As part of its global commitment to support the fight against the coronavirus pandemic, Unilever Canada will donate $3 million of essential goods to Canadians in need through food banks which are experiencing high demand due to economic uncertainty.
The company's actions in Canada are part of Unilever's global efforts to help protect the lives and livelihoods of the communities it supports, including its consumers, its customers and suppliers, and workforce, with worldwide product donations of more than €100 million (approximately $155 million CAD) to help people affected around the world.
Consumers and Communities
Unilever Canada will donate $3 million of food, soap, personal hygiene, and home cleaning products to charitable organizations in need, including: Food Banks Canada, Second Harvest, The Salvation Army, Simcoe Caring Cupboard, Good Shepherd and Action Nouvelle Vie.
Unilever will donate soap, personal care, home hygiene and food products from its leading brands, such as:
- Dove personal wash, deodorant, shampoo and conditioner, hand and body lotion
- Dove Men+Care personal wash, deodorant, shampoo and conditioner
- Baby Dove wipes, tip to toe wash
- Vaseline hand and body lotion, petroleum jelly
- AXE deodorant, body spray
- TRESemmé shampoo, conditioner and dry shampoo
- Seventh Generation disinfectant wipes, all purpose cleaner, paper towel
- Vim all purpose cleaner
- Knorr sidekicks, soup, pasta sauce
- Hellmann's mayonnaise
- TAZO tea
- Lipton tea
- OLLY gummy vitamins and supplements
"While there is always a need, the extreme demands of the COVID-19 pandemic has made helping the most vulnerable in our communities much harder," said Chris Hatch, CEO of Food Banks Canada. "This generous donation from Unilever will be delivered to more than 3,000 food banks and agencies that Food Banks Canada supports. It will help keep food bank shelves stocked with the food and household goods that are needed to serve our communities from coast to coast. We are incredibly grateful for the ongoing support from Unilever."
Additionally, to respond to the urgent need and safety of frontline healthcare workers, Unilever's Simcoe and Rexdale factories will donate over 30,000 masks to frontline healthcare workers in their communities who put themselves at risk every day.
Our Customers and Suppliers
Worldwide, Unilever will offer €500 million (approximately $776 million CAD) of cash flow relief worldwide to support livelihoods across its extended value chain. This action includes early payment for its most vulnerable small and medium-sized suppliers, to help them with financial liquidity. Unilever will also extend credit to selected small-scale retail customers whose business relies on Unilever, to help them manage the crisis and protect jobs.
Our Workforce
Unilever will protect its global workforce from sudden drops in pay, as a result of market disruption or being unable to perform their role, for up to three months. This covers all employees, contractors and others who we manage or who work on Unilever's sites, on a full- or part-time basis. This will apply to workers not already covered by government plans or by their direct employer.
Gary Wade, President of Unilever Canada, said: "We are committed to supporting Canadians directly affected by COVID-19 with the products they need to protect the wellbeing of themselves, their families and their communities. Our frontline teams working in our factories, distribution centres and retail continue to go above and beyond to ensure Canadians have essential goods for their families. I'm grateful to our employees and partners who are working every day to make a difference in supporting our consumers, customers, and suppliers."
About Unilever Canada
Unilever is one of the world's leading suppliers of Beauty & Personal Care, Home Care, and Foods & Refreshment products with sales in over 190 countries and reaching 2.5 billion consumers a day. In Canada, the portfolio includes brand icons such as: Axe®, Ben & Jerry's®, Breyers®, Degree®, Dove® personal care products, Dove Men+Care®, Baby Dove®, Hellmann's®, Klondike®, Knorr®, Lipton®, Love Beauty and Planet®, Magnum®, Nexxus®, Popsicle®, Q-Tips®, Seventh Generation®, Simple®, St. Ives®, TRESemmé®, and Vaseline®, OLLY®, Schmidt's Naturals®, Shea Moisture®, TAZO®, Red Rose®, VIM®. All of the preceding brand names are owned or used under license by Unilever Canada Inc.
Unilever's Sustainable Living Plan underpins the company's strategy and commits to:
- Helping more than a billion people take action to improve their health and well-being by 2020.
- Halving the environmental impact of our products by 2030.
- Enhancing the livelihoods of millions of people by 2020.
The USLP creates value by driving growth and trust, eliminating costs and reducing risks. Globally, the company's sustainable living brands grew 69 per cent faster than the rest of the business and delivered more than 75 per cent of the company's growth in 2018.
For more information about Unilever and its brands, please visit www.unilever.com.
For more information on the USLP: www.unilever.com/sustainable-living/
SOURCE Unilever Canada
Media Enquiries: Katharine Williams, [email protected]
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