We are Unilever

We are driven by our purpose: to make sustainable living commonplace

It’s why we come to work. It’s why we’re in business. It’s how we inspire exceptional performance.

Back in 1883, Sunlight Soap was launched in the UK by our founder – it was pioneering, it was innovative and it had a purpose: to popularise cleanliness and bring it within reach of ordinary people. That was sustainable living, even then. We now have over 400 brands, and we are still driven by purpose.

We want to do better for our planet and our society – not just less harm. We want to act on the social and environmental issues facing the world and we want to enhance people’s lives with our products.

We’ve been pioneers, innovators, and future-makers for over 120 years – we plan to continue doing that. And we plan to do it sustainably.

Visit our global website to learn more about how we work.

Our Leadership

Our leadership team drives the company, guides our strategy, and leads our people. Learn about our directors and management committee here.

Growing with Bangladesh - UBL’s journey

Unilever Bangladesh Limited (UBL) is the largest Fast Moving Consumer Goods Company with a heritage of 60 years, with more than 9 out of 10 households using one or more of its brands for their daily needs. With 26 brands including Rin, Wheel, Lux, Lifebuoy, Glow & Lovely, Sunsilk, Pepsodent, etc., the company is a part of the everyday life of millions of consumers across Bangladesh. UBL’s purpose to make sustainable living commonplace with a vision to grow the business, while reducing environmental footprint and increasing positive social impact, is reflected in our company’s ethos, which is ‘What’s good for Bangladesh is good for Unilever’.

UBL is a company that has its own history intrinsically related to the development and culture of Bangladesh. It has been a part of the Bangladeshi household since the 19th century as the first boxes of sunlight soaps arrived in the country in the early 1900s with the purpose of bringing hygiene and cleanliness for the consumers. In 1962, the foundation of the first soap manufacturing facility was laid in Kalurghat, Chattogram, which marked the beginning of UBL’s journey in the country.

Starting with a single distributor in Chattogram, Unilever gradually expanded its reach to all administrative districts of Bangladesh by the end of the 1970s. Building on the success of its soap business, the company introduced new product categories, such as hair care, home care, skin care, and water purification, to meet the evolving needs of Bangladeshi consumers. With the establishment of Unilever Bangladesh’s Personal Product (PP) factory, the majority of personal care products, including shampoo and toothpaste, were manufactured locally rather than imported. At present, 95% of our local demand is met through local production.

Today, UBL is proud to serve not just the accessible geography, but also the remotest areas through a network of approximately 1.3 million retail outlets across the country. At Unilever Bangladesh Limited, our commitment to social and environmental development has been an integral part of our journey since our inception. Our efforts and sustainability initiatives gained a structured outlook with the launch of the Unilever Sustainable Living Plan (USLP) in 2010. This milestone marked a significant step forward in aligning our business practices with sustainable development goals.

Building upon this foundation, we have continued to refine and enhance our approach, and in 2020, we introduced the Compass strategy. This comprehensive strategy has been instrumental in further streamlining our efforts, enabling us to make a tangible and positive impact on society and the environment. By integrating sustainability into every aspect of our operations, we strive to create a brighter future for all, while ensuring responsible business practices that prioritise people and the planet.

As a pioneer in green manufacturing, UBL is constantly working to reduce our carbon footprint and aims to achieve carbon neutrality by 2025. We are also proactively helping cities better manage plastic waste and aiming to reach plastic neutrality by 2025. Our sustainability initiatives have already benefited over 100 million Bangladeshis since 2020, making us a proud partner in progress for Bangladesh.

Global Strategy: The Unilever Compass

In March 2021, we launched the Unilever Compass, our new fully integrated strategy which is at the heart of our vision to make sustainable living commonplace, and thereby build a more sustainable and equitable world. The Unilever Compass leverages the size and scale of the company to create long-term value for all our stakeholders, whilst helping us maintain our competitive advantage and grow our business. It is founded on our conviction that business and sustainability are indivisible.