Unilever
Flagged · AvoidBritish-Dutch consumer goods giant behind Dove, Hellmann's, Axe, Knorr, and 400+ other household brands.
Last updated July 21, 2026
↓ Skip to 5 ethical alternativesReasons to avoid
Issues span:EnvironmentConsumerGovernanceHuman RightsLabor
- Unilever is the world's top plastic sachet polluter, selling over 53 billion single-use sachets in 2023, roughly 1,700 every second. The sachets are made of mixed plastic and aluminum that cannot be recycled, and they pollute waterways in developing countries where waste collection systems are limited.
- Unilever lobbied against plastic sachet bans in at least three Asian countries, including Sri Lanka, even as its own executives publicly called sachets evil. The company pressed governments to reconsider the bans and found ways around the rules once they were imposed.
- Unilever is under formal investigation by the UK's Competition and Markets Authority for greenwashing, based on vague or unsubstantiated claims that its products are sustainable or better for the environment. The UK Advertising Standards Authority had already banned a Persil ad from Unilever for making similar claims.
- Unilever rolled back several sustainability pledges in 2024, downgrading its virgin plastic reduction target from 50 percent by 2025 to 30 percent by 2026 and pushing back its promise of fully recyclable packaging from 2025 to sometime between 2030 and 2035. The company also narrowed its living wage commitment to cover only half of its direct suppliers instead of all of them.
- Ben & Jerry's sued Unilever in November 2024, alleging the company silenced the ice cream brand's social media accounts to suppress posts supporting Palestinian refugees and campus protesters. The lawsuit also claims Unilever ousted the brand's CEO in retaliation for its activism, violating the terms of their 2000 merger agreement.
- Unilever's supply chain has been linked to deforestation and labor rights abuses, including palm oil, tea, and cocoa sourced from suppliers with documented environmental and worker harm. This contradicts the company's public claims about sustainable sourcing.
- Workers at Unilever's Ivory Coast subsidiary say the company is violating a collective bargaining agreement by refusing to guarantee severance pay tied to the 2025 sale of the local unit to another distributor. Reuters reported that Unilever's own local management told workers their terms would be set by the buyer instead of the existing agreement, even though Unilever granted similar protections to thousands of employees affected by its European ice cream spinoff around the same time.
Ethical alternatives
Personal Care
Dr. Bronner's
Family-owned soap and personal care brand with fair-trade, organic ingredients and genuine worker benefits — including free healthcare and capped executive pay.
🤝 Fair Trade🌿 Organic🐰 Cruelty-Free
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EarthHero
B Corp marketplace curating ethical personal care, home goods, and more from independent, sustainable brands.
✅ B-Corp♻️ Sustainable
Visit →Home & Cleaning
Blueland
Plastic-free cleaning tablets and concentrates that dissolve in reusable bottles — eliminating single-use plastic entirely.
♻️ Plastic Free🌿 Zero Waste♻️ Sustainable
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Grove Collaborative
B Corp marketplace for sustainable home essentials — ships carbon-neutral and offers refillable options across hundreds of ethical brands.
✅ B-Corp♻️ Sustainable♻️ Plastic Free
Visit →Food & Condiments
Local Co-ops & Independent Grocers
Shop locally owned grocery co-ops for condiments and pantry staples — money stays in your community.
📍 Local Business📍 Supports Locals
Common Questions
- Is Unilever ethical?
- Unilever sold over 53 billion single-use plastic sachets in 2023 and actively lobbied against sachet bans in at least three Asian countries, even as its own executives called sachets "evil." The UK's Competition and Markets Authority opened a formal greenwashing investigation into Unilever for making vague sustainability claims. In 2024, the company rolled back its virgin plastic reduction target and pushed back its recyclable packaging deadline by a decade.
- Why are people boycotting Unilever?
- Unilever faces boycotts over its plastic pollution record and treatment of its own brands. Ben and Jerry's sued Unilever in 2024, alleging the company silenced the brand's social media accounts to suppress posts supporting Palestinian refugees and then ousted its CEO in retaliation. Unilever's supply chain has also been linked to deforestation and labor abuses in palm oil, tea, and cocoa sourcing.
- What are the best ethical alternatives to Unilever?
- Dr. Bronner's is a family-owned personal care brand with fair-trade organic ingredients and capped executive pay. Blueland makes plastic-free cleaning tablets that eliminate single-use plastic entirely. Grove Collaborative is a B Corp marketplace for sustainable home essentials that ships carbon-neutral.