Global FMCG giant Unilever is celebrating the success of a innovative partnership “blossoming” in the sunflower fields in Limpopo to ensure sustainable sourcing of sunflower oil for its products.

Through the sunflower farming partnership, Unilever has successfully developed higher yielding hybrid seeds and it is now possible for the oils to be traced right back to the individual farms where the seeds were grown. This project is currently underway in Limpopo Province where almost 30 000 hectares of land is under sunflower crops and is expected to yield 20% of Unilever’s oil requirements in South Africa, thus reducing dependency on importation of sunflower oil.

Helping Unilever keep its pledge to take from the soil sustainably are the members of a joint supplier partnership aimed at converting the current standard sunflower oil, used in the production of margarines, to sustainably farmed sunflower oil. Control Union – a third-party verification company; Central Edible Oils Company with direct links to farmers, co-operatives and silo owners; and a private group of farmers, are following the Unilever Sustainable Agriculture Code to maintain soil fertility, enhance water quality, reduce GHG emissions, protect biodiversity and improve the livelihoods for the farmers and their workers.

The Sustainable Agriculture Code is a framework with guidelines and measurable deliverables on how crops can be grown in a sustainable manner.The Code has 11 key indicators using several Lead Agricultural Projects over a period of 12 years. Each indicator focuses on a specific area of sustainable farming, such as soil health, pest management or energy, and has been tested around the world on all our agricultural raw materials.

On 22 April 2013, Unilever announced its second Unilever Sustainable Living Plan (USLP) progress report in line with its global sustainable growth commitment of driving sales while reducing costs and risks. The USLP, established in 2010 – setting forward three international goals by 2020 – is at the heart of the organisation’s business model.

“As part of its vision towards helping more than 1-billion people improve their health and well-being; halving its environmental footprint and wholly sourcing its agricultural raw materials sustainably, Unilever aims to inspire people everywhere to live well and within the natural limits of the planet – while enjoying the benefits that its everyday household products provide,” said a statement released by Unilever at the launch,

Unilever also announced that it is sourcing more than a third of its agricultural raw materials sustainably, having made significant progress towards its target of 100% by 2020. With 55% now sourced sustainably, it has exceeded the interim milestone of 30% it set itself in 2010 when launching the Unilever Sustainable Living Plan. The improvement was made against a backdrop of the company reporting annual sales of €51 billion in 2012. Taken together, they represent significant milestones on the way to realising Unilever’s vision of doubling the size of its business whilst reducing its environmental impact and improving its positive social impact.

Unilever South Africa chairman Marijn van Tiggelen said the pilot year included 21 000ha – or approximately 10 000 tons of oil – that escalated to 27 000ha in 2012.

“The initial assessments showed varying gaps against Unilever’s Sustainable Agriculture Code, but through dedicated work between CEOCo and the farmers, every participant now meets or exceeds the sustainability criteria,” he said. The company planned to double the project scale in the current year.

Unilever South Africa was also aligned to the global target for wholly sourcing its palm oil from certified sustainable origins by 2015. Van Tiggelen said the company reached the goal-post last year via Green Palm certificate purchases.

In the two years following the USLP implementation, Unilever South Africa has identified priority areas to maximise its efforts, including reducing consumers’ water use; sustainably sourcing agricultural raw materials and enhancing livelihoods via job creation.

“These are noble ambitions and we are not immune to their challenges, but they are underpinned by time-bound targets. While the company has made steady progress towards our goal in the second year, there remains much to do,” van Tiggelen said.