Global
consumer goods company, Unilever, and Shopee, the leading e-commerce platform
in the region, today announced new efforts to increase sustainability awareness
and expand access to greener home care products for consumers in six markets across
Southeast Asia.
As
part of Unilever’s Clean Future strategy, both parties will build on their
long-standing partnership, to implement consumer-focused sustainability
initiatives, with the launch of the ‘Clean Home. Clean Nation.’ programme on
Shopee. This will start off with a regional Super Brand Day campaign on 21 May
showcasing Unilever’s Home Care portfolio, encouraging shoppers to make a
positive impact towards a cleaner environment. There will also be an always-on
shop page on Unilever’s Shopee store, dedicated to encouraging awareness and
the use of more environmentally friendly products.
A
portion of Unilever’s Home Care orders on Super Brand Day will go towards
community cleaning activities in partnership with local NGOs and charities. These
activities will range from the cleaning of more than 4,000 mosques in
Indonesia, to donating Unilever’s Home Care products such as Breeze, Sunlight,
Comfort and Cif to underprivileged families in Malaysia. A video educating
consumers about the threat of plastic pollution to the environment will also be
shared on Shopee and promoted through social media channels.
Deepening education through online
channels
The
Covid-19 pandemic has sparked a rapid shift to e-commerce, with online retail
penetration increasing by 1.5 times across Southeast Asia in one year - which,
pre-pandemic, had been forecast to happen in five years[1].
In parallel, there is an accelerated trend of shoppers in the region
increasingly voicing their concerns about the environment, specifically around
plastic waste, when making purchasing decisions. In Indonesia, the number of
environmentally conscious shoppers grew by 112% between 2019 and 2020[2]. Furthermore, 69% of shoppers in Southeast
Asia say they try to buy from companies that show a genuine concern for the
environment, whilst 38% of consumers have stopped buying from brands for their
negative environmental impact.[3] This suggests an opportunity
for companies to take the lead in making sustainable products and initiatives
more accessible through products and online channels.
"The
pandemic has supercharged the digital retail landscape and Unilever believes
e-commerce is a critical platform to answer consumer demand for sustainable
options that are readily available and provide excellent value. We are
delighted to partner with Shopee in this meaningful long-term collaboration
that allows us to reach more consumers in Southeast Asia with sustainable
products and initiatives via Shopee’s unrivalled consumer reach and insights,"
said Deepak Subramanian, Vice President of Home Care for Southeast Asia,
Unilever.
"Shopee
is pleased to collaborate with a purpose-driven company such as Unilever, to
help achieve their sustainability goals and give back to our communities. With
a deep understanding of consumer behaviour and trends in each market, Shopee
will work with Unilever to develop localised initiatives that will help to
raise awareness and encourage our shoppers to do their part in creating a
cleaner and greener community for everyone. We look forward to driving more of
such meaningful initiatives with our brand partners in future,” said Ian Ho,
Regional Managing Director at Shopee.
To
further reach the 400 million internet users every day in Southeast Asia,[4] Unilever and
Shopee will continue to provide home care content and drive sustainability
education at scale by tapping on Shopee’s suite of marketing and engagement
tools such as Shopee Live and affiliate networks.
Transforming lives through cleaner homes
in Malaysia this Super Brand Day
In
Malaysia, Unilever and Shopee are officially launching the 'Clean
Home. Clean Malaysia.' Super Brand Day campaign, with a mission to
support local communities by ensuring they have clean and hygienic places to
live in. Through the offering of an innovative assortment of home cleaning
products, the partnership aims to make eco-consciousness a default and easy
action for all Malaysians.
Committed
to supporting vulnerable local communities, Unilever will also be helping
underprivileged families through a collaboration with HOPE worldwide Malaysia.
Ongoing till 21 May, shoppers purchasing any Unilever Home Care products during
the campaign will contribute to a donation of RM100,000 worth of homecare
products to 600 underprivileged homes.
"At
Unilever, we are committed to doing our part in protecting the environment. On
top of our existing commitments to reduce our environmental impact, we also
want to give consumers more access to environmentally friendly products. We
hope that through this Clean Home. Clean Malaysia. programme with Shopee, we
are one step closer to achieving our Clean Future ambitions," said Marcos
Nakagawa, General Manager, Unilever Malaysia and Singapore.
Creating a Cleaner Future together
The
“Clean Home. Clean Nation.” initiative in Southeast Asia is inspired by
Unilever’s global Clean Future strategy announced last year, which has led to
the consumer goods company transforming the production of many of its home care
portfolio to be more sustainable now and for the future.
Unilever’s
Subramanian said: “Unilever’s Clean Future strategy is a ground-breaking
programme that will reshape our Home Care portfolio into an even more
sustainable one. We are excited to work with Shopee to reach new consumers,
share our vision of cleaner homes, and empower consumers with information and
sustainable choices to build a clean future – wherever they are on their
sustainability journey. The ‘Clean Home. Clean Nation.’ campaign is just one
step towards creating change in Southeast Asia, and we look forward to working
closely with our e-commerce partners to realise our vision of a Clean Future
for all.”
[1] Bain & Company and Facebook; Digital Consumers of Tomorrow, Here Today
[2] Kantar #WhoCares?WhoDoes? 2020, based on % growth
of Eco-Actives and Eco-Considerers in Indonesia
[3] Kantar
#WhoCares?WhoDoes? 2020, based on Southeast Asia (Indonesia & Vietnam)
consumers
[4] Google, Temasek and Bain & Company; E-Conomy SEA Report 2020
