Unilever Philippines journey to net zero

MANILA, Philippines — Recent energy shocks and catastrophic natural disasters in early 2026 have intensified the urgency of climate action. For the Philippines, one of Southeast Asia’s most climate-exposed economies, the priority is to turn low-carbon ambition into faster, measurable and collective action.

For Unilever, climate action is embedded in how the business operates – from managing risk, increasing operational efficiencies and building a more resilient supply chain.

Scaling decarbonization

At the operational level, Unilever has set a science-based target to reduce absolute Scope 1 and 2 greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 100 percent by 2030 from a 2015 baseline. By the end of 2025, Unilever Philippines had reduced its Scope 1 and 2 emissions by 77 percent against that baseline.

This progress has been supported by the company’s early investments in renewable energy, which has produced cost efficiencies and helped protect against energy market volatility. In 2019, Unilever Philippines transitioned to 100 percent renewable grid electricity using geothermal energy and has since expanded to installing solar rooftop panels across its facilities.

Through this, it has electrified some of its thermal processes using technologies such as heat pumps and boilers in its factories. The company has also committed to transitioning its owned fleet to 100 percent hybrid electric vehicles by 2030.

Recognizing that the bulk of its climate footprint lies across the value chain, Unilever Philippines is also working with suppliers to accelerate Scope 3 emissions reduction. Through the global Supplier Climate Program, the company engages priority suppliers by providing tools and resources to help them measure, report and eventually reduce their GHG emissions.

Reinforcing this in September 2025, Unilever Philippines renewed and expanded its partnership with First Gen to bring renewable energy supply to its priority sites and suppliers across Metro Manila, Cavite, Laguna and Batangas, extending the benefit of cost efficiencies while starting its supply chain decarbonization journey.

These initiatives reflect a broader principle: a low-carbon transition and net-zero future require partnerships that enable action across diverse sectors.

This is why Unilever Philippines is among the inaugural members of the Net Zero Carbon Alliance (NZCA), which brings together cross-sector organizations to advance decarbonization in the Philippines.

At the recent NZCA Philippine Net Zero Conference 2026, business leaders, policymakers, financiers and sustainability practitioners convened to map out the country’s low-carbon economic transformation.

Discussions focused on strengthening corporate leadership and governance, financing the transition, building capabilities, advancing policy, and translating net-zero commitments into measurable outcomes.

Unilever Philippines sustainability manager Regina Unson-Silerio emphasized that sustainability must be embedded across the entire business rather than treating it as an organizational silo.

“Sustainability has to be embedded across the business, with clear ownership and accountability from the functions that can turn strategy into action. Whether it is about renewable energy, lower-carbon materials and ingredients, logistics improvements, supplier decisions, capital investments, or product specifications, these decisions shape how we operate, innovate and grow the business.”