Equity, diversity and inclusion (ED&I)
Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (ED&I) are essential components of a vibrant and thriving workplace. At HUL, we are embedding ED&I principles into every aspect of our business operations and corporate culture, transforming them into actionable commitments.
What we aim to achieve
We are leveraging our scale and reach to drive inclusion across our workplaces, brands, supply chain, and communities. We also invest in our employees who in turn help build a culture of inclusion in our organisation. Our ED&I objectives align with UN's Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Our ED&I Framework #BELONG
We believe in crafting a culture of inclusion, where every voice is cherished and heard. This means creating an inclusive environment, free from barriers that limit people from reaching their true potential.
Our ED&I framework #BELONG is crafted to create an inclusive culture rooted in a sense of belonging.
It begins with ’Brilliant Basics’, laying a solid foundation for understanding and respecting individual differences. ‘Evolving Gender’ emerges as a guiding light, transcending stereotypes and paving the way for equal opportunities and empowerment. ’Leadership’ takes centre stage, where diverse voices rise and shine, shaping a brighter tomorrow. The ‘Other Diverse Groups’ find their rightful place, celebrated for their uniqueness and cherished contributions. ‘Nation: Advocacy & Allyship’ stands tall, fostering unity and amplifying voices that call for change. Last but not least, the heartbeat of it all, ’Governance’, ensures these values thrive and flourish across every facet of the organisation.
Our brands embrace our ED&I vision and create impactful marketing that empowers the next generation to embrace a world free from prejudice and bias. We prioritise increasing the representation of diverse groups in our branding initiatives, ensuring our message resonates with a broad range of audiences.
Inclusion of PwDs
Our disabilities inclusion programme has been crafted to create an inclusive ecosystem anchored by four fundamental pillars: Acquisition, Awareness, Accommodation, and Accessibility. We embarked on our journey with a clear recognition of the underrepresentation of Persons with Disabilities (PwDs) in our workforce and harnessing the untapped talent pool.
In 2022, we launched SAKSHAM, an experiential learning program exclusively for PwDs that aims to create a pathway to employment. Over the past 3 years, SAKSHAM has been active across our R&D, IT, Marketing, Supply Chain, HR, Legal, and Finance functions.
In 2024, we also established Enable, a dedicated employee resource group for our colleagues with disabilities to foster a supportive environment and address any PwD-related issues.
100+PwDs in our workforce as of March 2025
As on date, we have 3 factories (Dapada, Amli & Haridwar), 2 R&D Centres (Mumbai & Bangalore) and our Head Office certified as fully accessible, 2 equitable policies for PwDs (Additional medical insurance and disability accommodation), over 100+ leaders sensitised and a representation of 0.5% PwDs in our workforce.
A peek into DEI at our factory in Kolkata, West Bengal
United with PRIDE
In our commitment to providing a safe environment for our LGBTQ+ employees, we have undertaken multiple measures such as gender-neutral washrooms, spousal benefits to same-sex partners, and a gender affirmation policy. We also have an LGBTQ+ and allies employee resource group, ProUd, to create awareness around LGBTQ+ issues and create a supportive environment.
Striving for gender balance
42%representation of women at the managerial level (HUL including subsidiaries)
A decade of dedicated efforts to achieve a gender-balanced workforce has yielded results, propelling HUL’s managerial women representation from 19% in 2010 to 42% in 2024.
But the pursuit of equity doesn't stop there. We are steadfast in our ambition to increase women representation from the boardroom to the shopfloor.
Our programme Samavesh, trains and encourages women to join our shopfloor; HUL now has over 1,600 women employees on the shopfloor.
Another embodiment of this commitment is Project Ahilya; with a community of over 1,500 Ahilyas (Female Sales Representatives) in frontline sales roles.
We have also enrolled over 2 lakh women micro-entrepreneurs in villages across India under Project Shakti and equipped them to achieve financial independence, creating a ripple effect of empowerment and economic growth in rural India.
The World Economic Forum Gender Gap Report 2023 estimates a wait time of around 131 years to close the gender gap. By hiring top female talent across various work levels in our business and providing career development and mentorship opportunities we aim to help expedite the gap. Our initiatives include agile working arrangements, parental support, and return-to-work support through facilities like crèches, daycares and lactation rooms. Our inclusive approach also extends flexible working options, formal career breaks, and parental support to employees of all genders and sexual orientations.
More on DEI in our ecosystem and broader societal impact
Promoting women in STEM (1 of 6)
HUL's Women in STEM Fellowship is an initiative established to promote greater female representation in STEM education and careers in India. This fellowship supports top female scholars from leading Indian institutes, enabling them to pursue advanced studies in STEM fields.
The inaugural edition of the fellowship was announced on November 27, 2023, in partnership with the Indian Institute of Science. Selected HUL Fellows received an award and a financial scholarship for five years, benchmarked against the prestigious Prime Minister's Research Fellowship (PMRF).
In its second year, the Women in STEM fellowship aimed to create a conducive environment for women to pursue fulfilling STEM careers by providing them with financial aid and mentorship opportunities with senior leaders from HUL and the external academic ecosystem.
The women Fellows from three premier academic institutions in the country – IISc Bangalore; Indian Institute of Technology, Madras (IIT-M) and National Centre for Biological Sciences-Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (NCBS-TIFR) – will be provided a financial grant for a duration of five years.
Prioritising safety (2 of 6)
At HUL, we are committed to making safety a top priority for women everywhere—whether it's in the workplace, public spaces, or the rural communities in which we operate. Through dedicated efforts to combat sexual harassment and gender-based violence, we strive to ensure that women feel secure and supported.
Women’s Safety Accelerator Fund
Our Women's Safety Accelerator Fund (WSAF) has been a game-changer in the Indian tea industry, aiming to create a future where women and girls can thrive free from harassment and violence. Formed in 2020 through a partnership between Unilever and IDH, the WSAF advocates for the prevention of violence against women and girls (VAWG) in India’s tea sector by building stronger response mechanisms in tea garden communities. Through training and skill-building, we've positively impacted over 3,75,000 tea garden workers, mainly women, across 329 tea estates in India. The programme ensures long-term sustainability through multi-stakeholder engagement at local and state levels.
Equitable policies (3 of 6)
Our suite of 20+ policies, addressing various life stages of an individual, promotes equitable opportunities and empowerment for everyone. These include but are not limited to career break policy, parental policy, flexible work arrangement, disability accommodation policy, and childcare support.
We constantly review our policies to ensure we continue to acknowledge and support our employees’ diverse needs. In 2024, we introduced a foster/kinship caregiver policy to support individuals with diverse familial arrangements, we enhanced our secondary caregiver leave and expanded our daycare tie-ups. In fact, all our parental policies – be it birth, adoptive, or surrogate - are gender-neutral, and same-sex partners are included wherever applicable. These initiatives reflect our dedication to providing essential support, enabling our employees to thrive both professionally and personally.
In 2020, we led the way by introducing India's first comprehensive, gender-neutral policy to support survivors of domestic and other abuse. This policy offers impacted employees with access to medical care and psychological counselling, paid leave, flexible work options, relocation support, and more. Along with this, we also launched the #Unmute campaign to raise our collective voice as an organisation to end the silence on domestic violence and spread awareness about safety at home, work, and public spaces. By encouraging self-disclosure and offering reasonable accommodation for employee support, we continue to empower individuals to speak up and seek help.
Emphasis on skilling (4 of 6)
Our initiative SAFAL has championed principles of equity, inclusivity, and diversity since 2022. Along with our partners, we have empowered 75,400+ women, prioritising their economic participation through various Employment & Entrepreneurship initiatives.
Specialised Skill Development Centers for Persons with Disabilities in Assam and Mysuru have equipped 750 persons with disabilities with market-aligned vocational training and employment support.
SAFAL Sales Pro Academy – operating in Delhi, Chennai, Hyderabad, Vijayawada, and Mumbai – have trained 8,600+ young women in frontline sales, making the sector more aspirational for youth.
SAFAL’s Retailer Strengthening Program through Business Formalisation & Social Security and Access to Credit Facilitation has reached 11,400+ women entrepreneurs. Collaborating with NIESBUD (under the Ministry of MSME), SAFAL leveraged schemes like EDP and SANKALP to deliver entrepreneurship awareness & Promotion to 26,500+ women, scaling grassroots economic inclusion. SAFAL Youth Employment Project reached out to 28,800+ women providing digital & financial literacy skills and employment opportunities with access to a network of over 3000+ employers.
Developing a cadre of women micro-entrepreneurs (5 of 6)
HUL’s project Shakti expands opportunities for women in rural India by empowering them to become micro-entrepreneurs. This initiative embodies HUL's philosophy of ‘Doing Well by Doing Good’ and focuses on financially empowering women. Project Shakti has empowered over 2,00,000 Shakti Ammas across 22 states, till date.
Our rural sales promoters (RSPs) guide and support Shakti Ammas in managing their businesses, providing them with valuable coaching. The Shakti Ammas not only benefit from project Shakti financially, but they also see an elevation in their social status within their families and communities.
We upskill Shakti Ammas in various social and digital areas to keep them future-ready, including through our self-ordering retailer app, Shikhar, which is now used by more than 50% of Shakti Ammas.
Moreover, Shakti Ammas act as agents of social change by influencing practices related to nutrition, waste recycling, and hygiene. They receive dedicated training on health and nutrition, enabling them to make a positive impact in their communities.
Focussing on holistic community development (6 of 6)
Since its launch in 2013, Prabhat has empowered 11 million people across 12 states and two union territories. This initiative focuses on livelihoods, environmental sustainability, and health and nutrition, addressing local community needs in line with India’s development agenda and the UN SDGs.
Through Prabhat’s efforts, nearly 1,47,000 people have received skill development and training, while more than 85,000 people have secured employment.
Prabhat's goal is to foster sustainable communities around HUL sites through targeted interventions focusing on improving the quality of life for the communities. The programme’s 18 livelihood centres train women and youth in vocational skills and entrepreneurship development, preparing them for the future. The programme promotes inclusivity by engaging persons with disabilities, transgenders, and other vulnerable groups to create equal opportunities for everyone while helping individuals reach their full potential.