Unilever embarks on a journey towards 24/7 carbon-free electricity

“By sharing our own progress and learnings, in partnership with other international businesses, we hope to inspire more corporates to follow suit.” 
Rianne Buter
Global Head of Sustainability, Unilever’s

Building on its strong progress with renewable energy to date, Unilever is looking to play its part in “an evolution of corporate renewable electricity sourcing.” Building on its strong progress with renewable energy to date, Unilever is looking to play its part in “an evolution of corporate renewable electricity sourcing The company is now exploring a transition to 24/7 carbon-free electricity (24/7 CFE), focusing on a more granular understanding of when and where electricity is consumed across its global operations. 

For international businesses attention is shifting from how much renewable electricity is matched annually to 24/7 CFE. As part of this shift, Unilever has joined the 24/7 Carbon-Free Coalition, marking the start of a journey to collaborate, build understanding, and demonstrate how carbon-free electricity can better meet the power demand on an hourly basis. 

The role of large corporates

Collaboration is key to making the transition work at scale. Rae outlines, “It’s essential. No single company can deliver 24/7 CFE alone. Suppliers, policymakers and corporates all have a role to play in enabling the system.”  

The 24/7 Carbon-Free Coalition will play a vital role in enabling this journey. Unilever aims to develop a clear picture of its current electricity usage and how it aligns with carbon-free supply in real time. That means identifying gaps, opportunities, and pathways for improvement. Rae explains, “We’re joining the Coalition to learn, and build out our approach from there.” Through collaboration, shared expertise, dialogue on policy requirements and access to emerging best practices, Unilever expects to enhance its capabilities. “Joining the Coalition will help us access expert-led training, and insights from other corporates will help us approach the transition in a way that is right for our business.” 

Facing barriers head on

Unilever is clear that there are challenges to navigating a transition to 24/7 carbon-free electricity, but these should not deter companies from starting this journey. Instead, they reinforce the need for collective progress and real-world testing. “Electricity systems around the world are very much at different stages in terms of decarbonisation and therefore have vastly different needs – our approach needs to acknowledge that. The challenge isn’t a lack of momentum. The challenge is to translate the many new emerging tools and technologies into practical, scalable action for a global business.”

Demonstrating what’s possible

As an international business with significant electricity demand, Unilever recognises its role in shaping energy systems. “By deeply understanding when and where they consume electricity, corporates can send clearer demand signals for the types of carbon-free electricity solutions that grids need most whilst also identifying opportunities to shift consumption patterns to align with when carbon-free supply is abundant and lower cost.” Success, for Unilever, is not defined by immediate perfection but by the progress made, and the proof points along the way. Success would mean achieving meaningful improvements in hourly-matched carbon-free electricity - and proving the business case in a practical and scalable way. 

By stepping forward now, Unilever is not only advancing its own understanding, but aiming to show that this move is practical, scalable and worth pursuing. It wants to help lay the groundwork for a future where businesses can align more closely with the realities of electricity systems, while inspiring others to start their own journeys.

24/7 Carbon-Free Coalition

Climate Group’s 24/7 Carbon-Free Coalition brings together businesses to support how energy procurement is shaped, with peer networking, knowledge sharing and technical advice. Businesses leaders who act now will be better positioned to navigate evolving energy markets and international reporting standards, and play a leading role in building a more resilient, future-ready global energy system.  

Find out more about joining the Coalition here. 
Find out more about Unilever’s climate commitments here.