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Positively impacting lives through innovative social enterprises

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We are collaborating to scale waste management initiatives and improve livelihoods. One way we’re doing this is through our TRANSFORM initiative, which supports a range of social enterprises.

An image of Hasiru Dala helping with the TRANSFORM project

India has one of the fastest-growing economies in the world, but we must ensure its growth is both inclusive and environmentally sustainable. In 2023, only a third of India's labour force were female. What's more, residents of urban settings in India tend to consume nearly double the resources per person compared to their rural counterparts. As the economy grows, so does consumption and waste.

TRANSFORM is an impact accelerator led by Unilever, the UK Government’s Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, and EY. It supports visionary small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) across Africa, Asia and beyond, to test and scale market-based solutions to key global challenges.

TRANSFORM initiative logo

In line with Hindustan Unilever’s ambition to operate and grow the business in a socially responsible way, TRANSFORM has provided over 16 enterprises in India with grant funding, bespoke business insight, network connections and research to scale up their solutions. Together, we support enterprises to tackle important issues from waste management to improving livelihoods.

Importantly, we also identify ways to incorporate solutions and services supported by the TRANSFORM initiative into our value chain.

For example, we supported waste-management enterprise Hasiru Dala to increase the capacity of its material recovery facilities by tenfold, secure Fairtrade certification, and enter the market for post-consumer recycled plastic by integrating its use in Hindustan Unilever’s Sunsilk Oil Blends shampoo bottles. Their work not only helps to reduce plastic waste, but also supports and professionalises informal waste workers so that they may gain better and stable income.

A bottle of Sunsilk Oil Blends shampoo.

Since 2015, TRANSFORM has supported over 100 projects across 17 countries, to make a difference to our planet and society. In India, the initiative has positively impacted the lives of over 3 million people. The initiative highlights the power of social innovation and collaboration to tackle our most pressing challenges.

To read more about our work on climate, nature, plastics and livelihoods, visit our sustainability hub.

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