Introduction to HULHindustan Unilever Limited (HUL) is India's largest Fast Moving Consumer Goods Company with a heritage of over 75 years in India and touches the lives of two out of three Indians.

HUL works to create a better future every day and helps people feel good, look good and get more out of life with brands and services that are good for them and good for others.

With over 35 brands spanning 20 distinct categories such as soaps, detergents, shampoos, skin care, toothpastes, deodorants, cosmetics, tea, coffee, packaged foods, ice cream, and water purifiers, the Company is a part of the everyday life of millions of consumers across India. Its portfolio includes leading household brands such as Lux, Lifebuoy, Surf Excel, Rin, Wheel, Fair & Lovely, Pond’s, Vaseline, Lakmé, Dove, Clinic Plus, Sunsilk, Pepsodent, Closeup, Axe, Brooke Bond, Bru, Knorr, Kissan, Kwality Wall’s and Pureit.

The Company has over 16,000 employees and has an annual turnover of around Rs. 21,736 crores (financial year 2011 - 2012). HUL is a subsidiary of Unilever, one of the world’s leading suppliers of fast moving consumer goods with strong local roots in more than 100 countries across the globe with annual sales of about €46.5 billion in 2011. Unilever has about 52% shareholding in HUL.

Our history In the summer of 1888, visitors to the Kolkata harbour noticed crates full of Sunlight soap bars, embossed with the words "Made in England by Lever Brothers". With it, began an era of marketing branded Fast Moving Consumer Goods (FMCG).

 Soon after followed Lifebuoy in 1895 and other famous brands like Pears, Lux and Vim. Vanaspati was launched in 1918 and the famous Dalda brand came to the market in 1937.

In 1931, Unilever set up its first Indian subsidiary, Hindustan Vanaspati Manufacturing Company, followed by Lever Brothers India Limited (1933) and United Traders Limited (1935). These three companies merged to form HUL in November 1956; HUL offered 10% of its equity to the Indian public, being the first among the foreign subsidiaries to do so. Unilever now holds 52.10% equity in the company. The rest of the shareholding is distributed among about 360,675 individual shareholders and financial institutions.

The erstwhile Brooke Bond's presence in India dates back to 1900. By 1903, the company had launched Red Label tea in the country. In 1912, Brooke Bond & Co. India Limited was formed. Brooke Bond joined the Unilever fold in 1984 through an international acquisition. The erstwhile Lipton's links with India were forged in 1898. Unilever acquired Lipton in 1972, and in 1977 Lipton Tea (India) Limited was incorporated.

Pond's (India) Limited had been present in India since 1947. It joined the Unilever fold through an international acquisition of Chesebrough Pond's USA in 1986.

Since the very early years, HUL has vigorously responded to the stimulus of economic growth. The growth process has been accompanied by judicious diversification, always in line with Indian opinions and aspirations.

The liberalisation of the Indian economy, started in 1991, clearly marked an inflexion in HUL's and the Group's growth curve. Removal of the regulatory framework allowed the company to explore every single product and opportunity segment, without any constraints on production capacity.

Simultaneously, deregulation permitted alliances, acquisitions and mergers. In one of the most visible and talked about events of India's corporate history, the erstwhile Tata Oil Mills Company (TOMCO) merged with HUL, effective from April 1, 1993. In 1996, HUL and yet another Tata company, Lakme Limited, formed a 50:50 joint venture, Lakme Unilever Limited, to market Lakme's market-leading cosmetics and other appropriate products of both the companies.

Subsequently in 1998, Lakme Limited sold its brands to HUL and divested its 50% stake in the joint venture to the company.

HUL formed a 50:50 joint venture with the US-based Kimberly Clark Corporation in 1994, Kimberly-Clark Lever Ltd, which markets Huggies Diapers and Kotex Sanitary Pads. HUL has also set up a subsidiary in Nepal, Unilever Nepal Limited (UNL), and its factory represents the largest manufacturing investment in the Himalayan kingdom. The UNL factory manufactures HUL's products like Soaps, Detergents and Personal Products both for the domestic market and exports to India.

The 1990s also witnessed a string of crucial mergers, acquisitions and alliances on the Foods and Beverages front. In 1992, the erstwhile Brooke Bond acquired Kothari General Foods, with significant interests in Instant Coffee. In 1993, it acquired the Kissan business from the UB Group and the Dollops Icecream business from Cadbury India.

As a measure of backward integration, Tea Estates and Doom Dooma, two plantation companies of Unilever, were merged with Brooke Bond. Then in 1994, Brooke Bond India and Lipton India merged to form Brooke Bond Lipton India Limited (BBLIL), enabling greater focus and ensuring synergy in the traditional Beverages business. 1994 witnessed BBLIL launching the Wall's range of Frozen Desserts. By the end of the year, the company entered into a strategic alliance with the Kwality Icecream Group families and in 1995 the Milkfood 100% Icecream marketing and distribution rights too were acquired.

Finally, BBLIL merged with HUL, with effect from January 1, 1996. The internal restructuring culminated in the merger of Pond's (India) Limited (PIL) with HUL in 1998. The two companies had significant overlaps in Personal Products, Speciality Chemicals and Exports businesses, besides a common distribution system since 1993 for Personal Products. The two also had a common management pool and a technology base. The amalgamation was done to ensure for the Group, benefits from scale economies both in domestic and export markets and enable it to fund investments required for aggressively building new categories.

In January 2000, in a historic step, the government decided to award 74 per cent equity in Modern Foods to HUL, thereby beginning the divestment of government equity in public sector undertakings (PSU) to private sector partners. HUL's entry into Bread is a strategic extension of the company's wheat business. In 2002, HUL acquired the government's remaining stake in Modern Foods.

In 2003, HUL acquired the Cooked Shrimp and Pasteurised Crabmeat business of the Amalgam Group of Companies, a leader in value added Marine Products exports.

HUL launched a slew of new business initiatives in the early part of 2000’s. Project Shakti was started in 2001. It is a rural initiative that targets small villages populated by less than 5000 individuals. It is a unique win-win initiative that catalyses rural affluence even as it benefits business. Currently, there are over 45,000 Shakti entrepreneurs covering over 100,000 villages across 15 states and reaching to over 3 million homes.

In 2002, HUL made its foray into Ayurvedic health & beauty centre category with the Ayush product range and Ayush Therapy Centres. Hindustan Unilever Network, Direct to home business was launched in 2003 and this was followed by the launch of ‘Pureit’ water purifier in 2004.

In 2007, the Company name was formally changed to Hindustan Unilever Limited after receiving the approval of share holders during the 74th AGM on 18 May 2007. Brooke Bond and Surf Excel breached the the Rs 1,000 crore sales mark the same year followed by Wheel which crossed the Rs.2,000 crore sales milestone in 2008.

On 17th October 2008 , HUL completed 75 years of corporate existence in India.

In  January 2010, the HUL head office shifted from the landmark Lever House, at Backbay Reclamation, Mumbai to the new campus in Andheri (E), Mumbai.

On 15th November, 2010, the Unilever Sustainable Living Plan was officially launched in India at New Delhi.In March, 2012 HUL’s state of the art Learning Centre was inaugurated at the Hindustan Unilever campus at Andheri, Mumbai.In April, 2012, the Customer Insight & Innovation Centre (CiiC) was inaugurated at the Hindustan Unilever campus at Andheri, Mumbai Exquisite taste in a cup of tea that is also good for your health!

Food brands HUL is one of India’s leading food companies. Our passion for understanding what people want and need from their food - and what they love about it - makes our brands a popular choice

AnnapurnaPartnering with the mom in nurturing her dreams, Annapurna Atta is aimed at helping her provide wholesome tasty nutrition to her family. 

Brooke Bond Red LabelBond over a cup of tasty Red Label and stay healthy. In other words… ‘Swast rahein mast rahein.’

Brooke Bond TaazaBrooke Bond Taaza

Brooke Bond Taj MahalBrooke Bond Taj Mahal is an exclusive selection of teas for the discerning consumer.

BruBru makes moments with loved ones even more magical

KissanEat Happily. Grow Happily.

KnorrKnorr helps families make meal times special, nutritious, tasty and healthy.

Kwality Wall’sKWALITY WALL’S – SHARE HAPPY. Happiness is a sweet treat waiting to be eaten.

LiptonLipton has a range of vitality teas that truly encompass the goodness of tea.

ModernModern – A Wholesome & Nourishing, Hygienically produced & Reliably Safe Bread

Brooke Bond SehatmandBB Sehatmand – Jo Sehatmand Woh Aage Har Dum!! (One who is healthy is a step ahead…. Always)

Home care brandsHUL has a diverse portfolio of brands offering home care solutions for millions of consumers across India.

Active WheelActive Wheel – Haazaron Phoolo ki Khusbhu, Nimbu ke Shakti ke Saath!

Active Wheel – with Power of lemons and freshness of thousands of flowers!

CifCif- the best cleaner to let you shine.

Comfort Fabric ConditionerComfort makes your family’s clothes feel cared for and comfortable.

DomexThe sheer power of Domex bleach gives you the confidence you need, eradicating all known germs.

RinRin provides ‘best in class whiteness’ which is demonstrable.

SunlightSunlight keeps colours looking as beautiful as you

Surf ExcelGiving your kids the freedom to get dirty and experience life, safe in the knowledge that Surf Excel will remove those stains

VimCreated in 1885, the Vim brand is still innovating and using the magic of natural ingredients to create unbeatable results over a hundred years later.

Personal care brandsOur personal care brands, including Axe, Dove, Lux, Pond's, Rexona and Sunsilk, are recognised and love by consumers across India. They help consumers to look good and feel good – and in turn get more out of life.

AvianceAviance enables women actualize their unique potential through expert customized beauty solutions.

AxeAxe with Best Quality Fragrance

LEVER Ayush TherapyLEVER Ayush aims to help a new generation of Indians rediscover everyday health and vitality through customized Ayurvedic solutions.

BreezeBreeze, with the goodness of glycerine gives soft, fragrant and smooth skin.

ClearNew CLEAR with Nutrium 10 goes 3 layers deep** into the scalp to nourish such that Dandruff Wont Come Back*!

Clinic PlusClinic Plus - makes hair inside strong, outside long!

Closeup Gel ToothpasteCloseup – fresh breath confidence to get close

DoveDove stands for real beauty. All around the world, Dove is making real women feel more beautiful!

Fair & LovelyMore than 30 years ago, a unique brand was born. Wrapped within a humble lavender tube, it went on to become the World’s No.1 Fairness cream.

HamamHolistic skin care experiences perfected over the ages to deliver healthy, beautiful skin

LakmeLakme is an ally to the Indian Woman and inspires her to express her unique beauty and sensuality. Thus, enabling her to realize the potency of her beauty.

LifebuoyLifebuoy is available in multiple variants in soaps and specialist formats such as liquid handwash, catering to the entire family.

Liril 2000Liril 2000-Now come closer to your loved ones

LuxLux – for silky skin like never before!

PearsPears – the purest and most gentle way to skincare!

PepsodentPepsodent India is committed to improve the overall Oral health of Indians.

Pond’sGet the expert to look after your skin

RexonaRexona gives you silky skin irresistible to touch that keeps the romance alive!

SunsilkSunsilk has had a re-style!

VaselineVaseline – To help you feel ready everyday! Health, hygiene & beautyUnilever's vitality mission is a mandate to help people feel good, look good and get more out of life. At the heart of this mission is hygiene and health through hygiene.

At the heart of our mission

What does 'vitality' really mean to billions of people in the world? How does it manifest itself in their lives? What does it add to their lives when it is present? What are the consequences when it is absent?

The desire to be clean, active, energetic and healthy is common to every person, whether young or old, whether rich or poor. To billions in the developing world, health is simply the absence of illness. For them, health is the ability to go to work, to provide a square meal for their families. For their children, health is the ability to play, to go to school, to work towards a better future. For the affluent, health is more than just physical well being. For them the signs of good health – being active, energetic, feeling good, looking good – allow them to get the most out of life. Yet for the millions of mothers who lose their children to diarrhoea and upper respiratory infections, health is simply about staying alive.

New risks

"The risks are likely to intensify," says Sally Bloomfield, a member of the International Scientific Forum on Home Hygiene (IFH), which receives an educational grant from Unilever. "As populations age and the incidence of immuno-deficient diseases such as AIDS rises, more people will be vulnerable to the consequences of poor hygiene."

"Infectious diseases are also hopping around the world quicker than before due to globalisation, as we saw with SARS and now with Swine Flu. In some cases, you can't treat these with antibiotics as they're viral; others are bacterial but resistant to antibiotics, such as the hospital superbug MRSA (Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus)."

New pathogens – agents that can cause disease – are also constantly appearing. Since the 1970s, at least one new pathogen has been recorded each year. Good hygiene is often the only way to avoid many pathogens and their consequences.

A simple solution

One of the main stumbling blocks, says Dr Val Curtis at the London School of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene, is that most people do not use one of the world's most basic and widely available home hygiene products – the humble bar of soap.

"Hands are a superhighway for transmitting germs, but most people don't wash their hands with soap and water at key times," she explains. "In the UK, for example, only 30% of people wash their hands after going to the toilet and only 43% after changing a nappy." The statistics in developing countries are similar.

Health through hygiene

So what's Hindustan Unilever doing?

One of our oldest brands, Lifebuoy, exemplifies our commitment to champion health through hygiene for everyone. 

Water

Pureit is the world’s most advanced range of in-home water purifiers. Pureit is breakthrough innovation designed by Hindustan Unilever and it provides complete protection from all water-borne diseases, unmatched convenience and affordability.

In the developing world, most of all diseases are water-related - a major cause for this is the poor quality of drinking water. Themagnitude of the problem can be seen from the fact that diarrheal disease alone leads to 2 - 2.2 million deaths and 4 billion episodes of disease every year worldwide. An estimated 400,000* deaths due to diarrheal disease happen amongst children in India every year. World Health Organization (WHO) states that the provision of safe water alone will reduce diarrheal and enteric disease by up to 50%, even in the absence of improved sanitation or other hygiene measures.

Most of all diseases like typhoid, jaundice, cholera, dysentery are waterborne. These diseases place an immense social and economic burden on our country. There is therefore a huge consumer need in India today for an affordable means of getting safe drinking water. Boiling water, as a means of purification, is expensive, energy-intensive, and cumbersome. Available storage and candle-based filters do not ensure safety from harmful germs. Electricity-dependent and continuous tap-water dependent devices based on UV and reverse osmosis technologies are beyond the reach of most consumers.

Given this context, Unilever embarked on a mission to provide safe and affordable drinking water through in-home water purification. Unilever scientists have worked for many years to come up with a range of technological breakthroughs that have led to the creation of ‘Pureit’ a unique offering by Unilever. Pureit breaks through the barriers of convenience & affordability by providing water that is as safe as boiled water and ensuring complete protection from water-borne diseases; and it does this at a very affordable running cost of just one rupee for four liters of safe water.

The Pureit innovation addresses one of the biggest technological challenges of the century – that of making safe water accessible & affordable for millions. Pureit provides 4 litres of “As safe as boiled”™ water at a running cost of Rs 1 without

the hassles of boiling, without the need of electricity or a continuous tap water supply.

How Pureit Works?Pureit is the world’s most advanced in-home water purification system. Pureit purifies your drinking water in four stages and removes visible dirt, pesticides, harmful parasites, viruses, bacteria and residual chlorine to make water clear, odorless and natural tasting

Pureit has a 4-stage purification process to purify water. The four stages are:

Microfibre Mesh™- Removes visible dirtActivated Carbon Trap™-Removes harmful parasites and pesticidesGermkill Processor™- Uses 'programmed Germ kill technology' to target and remove invisible harmful viruses and bacteriaPolisher™- Removes chlorine and other contaminants, giving clear, odorless and natural tasting waterThe output water from Pureit meets stringent criteria for microbiologically safe drinking water, from one of the toughest regulatory agencies the USA, EPA (Environmental Protection Agency).

From a single SKU brand in 2008, Pureit now has six variants in its portfolio namely:Pureit Intella 12 liters,Pureit Classic 14 liters,Pureit Classic 23 liters,Pureit Classic Auto-fill 23 liters,Pureit Marvella OGT and Pureit Marvella RO. The range starts from Pureit Intella priced at INR 900 to the flagship Pureit Classic device for INR 2200 to the recently launched premium category Marvella RO priced at INR 13500.For information on Pureit vs. Other purification methodsPureit Endorsements and CertificationsPureit’s performance has been tested by leading international and national medical, scientific and public health institutions. Not just that, Pureit meets the germkill criteria of theEnvironmental Protection Agency(EPA), the toughest drinking water regulatory agency in the USA. The fact that thePureit 1 Crore Safety Challengeis still unclaimed after more than two years is a testimony to the unmatched germ safety standards of Pureit.The performance of Pureit has been certified by Leading Medical Institutions and Leading Scientific InstitutionsPureit ImpactPureit was launched in test market in 2004 in Chennai and then rolled out nationally across India in 2008. Today, Pureit is the most widely available and sold water purifier in India with 6 million

Key facts

Pureit has protected 30 million lives in India alone Currently available in 7 countries Pureit Storage and Inline range of water purifiers do not require electricity Pureit Marvella RO was launched in 2011. It is the only RO water purifier with 15

days Advance Alert System. Winner of Golden Peacock Award 2011 for Innovative product / service. Winner of Golden Peacock Award 2011 for Innovative Management Best Distinguished Domestic Non Electric Water Purifier at the Water Digest

Awards 2011-12 Best R&D and Technological Breakthrough category at the Water Digest Awards

20011-12From our range

 Pureit Marvella RO

 Pureit Marvella

 Pureit Classic 14 litres

 Pureit Classic 23 litres

NutritionWe've created policies and guidelines to ensure we always act responsibly when it comes to health and nutrition.

Acting responsibly

Millions of people around the world enjoy the foods and drinks we create. So the ingredients we use, the formulations, and the way we advertise and market our brands can potentially make a big impact on global health.

We aim to act responsibly and have a strong nutrition policy. We've also developed a carefully considered approach to health and nutrition which includes:

encouraging a balanced diet with the right amount of proteins, carbohydrates, fats, vitamins and minerals

developing a growing range of low fat, low sugar, low calorie alternatives, plus more 'active health' products

marketing responsibility our foods and beverages and helping to reduce over-consumption

helping people understand the nutritional benefits of our products

creating products that reflect the fact that people will only eat foods that they enjoy

having sound specific evidence underpinning all our claims

making significant contributions to researching the relationship on nutrition and health, such as the effects of good fats (unsalted fats), fruits & vegetables and vitamins and minerals

Clear communication

We've also developed a set of marketing principles to ensure we're always 'honest, decent and truthful' in our communication – which include special principles on advertising to children.

As well as excluding anything that appears to condone over-consumption in our marketing, we also prohibit anything that undermines the promotion of healthy, balanced diets and lifestyles, or misrepresents snacks as meals. We will also make sure that any claims made in our marketing about any of our products are supported by scientific evidence.

Under our principles for marketing to children, we ensure our advertisements don't convey misleading messages, don't undermine parental influence, don't encourage pester power, don't suggest time or price pressure, don't encourage unhealthy dietary habits, and don't blur the boundary between promotion and content.

In addition, as well as supporting the development of international self-regulatory codes for all marketing and advertising, we recently agreed to voluntarily restrict all paid marketing communications (with the exception of packaging) directed primarily at children under the age of six years.

We believe that by putting these principles in place, we're not only doing the right thing, but we're being proactive through voluntary self-regulation – instead of simply reacting to external pressures.

Guideline Daily AmountsAlong with other large food companies, Unilever has introduced an extended nutrition information system which will make it easier for you to select a balanced diet.

A guide to a balanced diet

This new system of nutrition information is based on international dietary guidelines for the average daily amount of calories and nutrients that people need – known as Guideline Daily Amounts (GDA). More and more, we are putting this information on our food packaging in addition to the existing full nutrition labelling.

Information at a glance

This information let you check the specific nutrients in a product and avoid an unhealthy, unbalanced intake. Nutrients like sugars, fat, saturated fat and sodium (salt) should be consumed in limited amounts according to WHO international dietary recommendations. The new system tells you at a glance the calories contained in a single serving, as well as the sugars, fat, saturated fat and sodium or salt in it. To help you further, you are shown what percentage of your daily amount of these nutrients the product contributes to you daily needs,  which helps you in choosing a balanced diet.

Guideline Daily Amounts are based on scientific studies and international recommendations (1). The system for the new labelling was created by the European food industry association – CIAA or the Confederation of Food and Drink Industries of the European Union – together with independent experts.

What does 'Guideline Daily Amount' mean?

Our requirements for calories and nutrients differ according to gender, age, size, body weight and activity levels. That is why the Guideline Daily Amount is not a target for individuals but an average guideline for healthy adults, based on international studies and recommendations. GDAs used in food labelling take the values for adult women – this provides a sensible average for the needs of the majority of the population.

The table below shows the GDAs for an average adult:

Calories 2,000 kcal

Protein 50g

Carbohydrates 270g

Sugars 90g

Fat 70g

Saturates 20g

Fibre 25g

Sodium (salt) 2.4g (6g)

The Choices ProgrammeAs a foods manufacturer, it's our mission to add vitality to life. That's why,  Unilever is participating in the “ Healthy choices programme” and  encouraging other like minded industries to participate in  the  implementation of Choices front-of-pack stamp – to help  consumers make healthy choices. Hindustan Unilever  has introduced ‘Healthy Choices’ logo in India on its food products in 2009.

Making healthy choices easy

You'll find the Choices stamp on the front of packs of our foods products that are in line with internationally accepted dietary advice. Shopping for the healthy choice would never have been easier.

Busy shoppers

You may lead a busy life but that doesn't mean you don't care about healthy eating. Most shoppers take only a few seconds when choosing food items, so the Choices stamp will help you quickly identify a healthy option  that can be a  part of a nutritious and varied diet.

Taking a lead with a healthy food & drink labelling system

Choices Programme is open to food industries and organisations, other companies, retailers and caterers  can use the Choices stamp on their products that meet the criteria. An international governing body manages the implementation of the Choices Programme globally.

Understanding information on nutrition

Eating well should be easy. Nevertheless, it can be confusing to know exactly what's a 'healthy choice' when it comes to buying foods and drinks. All too often there's a lack of straightforward information. That's where the Choices stamp comes in. A simple, clear stamp will be available to help everyone, everywhere rapidly identify products that are in line with internationally-accepted dietary advice.

Choices gives an identification of healthy variants, meeting pre-set criteria based on international dietary recommendations, and as such can only be found on a selection of the food offerings.

The role of nutrients in the diet

Every nutrient has a role to play in a balanced diet. However, it is known that many people around the world exceed the daily recommended amounts of trans fats, saturated fats, sugars and sodium (salt). Yet by reducing them you can improve your diet which may help increase your sense of well-being. That's why the Choices stamp is so important. When you see it on your favourite brands, you can be even more confident about the food you're eating.

The Choices stamp can be found on foods and drinks that meet criteria based on internationally-accepted dietary advice. An independent scientific committee  has developed  these criteria and will supervise the  use of logos on pack, with future developments also including    qualifying criteria for other nutrients like fibre and energy. It's a sure sign that you're making a healthy choice.

Making our food healthierWe care about health, which is why we're overhauling our entire food and drink portfolio. We're cutting down levels of salt, sugar and trans fats and improving labelling to help you eat better, feel better and stay healthy.

Nutrition Enhancement Programme

At Unilever, we understand just how important food is to our lives. Food doesn't just sustain us, it can nourish and revitalise us. Good food and drink can improve our health and vitality, be fun and bring families and friends together. We care about food because you do.

Global focus

To help make sure that you get the most nutritional benefits from our foods, Unilever has launched the Nutrition Enhancement Programme. The new programme will scrutinise each and every product in our food and drink portfolio across the globe for levels of trans fat, saturated fats, sodium and sugars. In addition, on-pack claims and information are also being reviewed.

Raising the bar

So far, more than 16 000 products – covering our full foods range – have already been reviewed. Each one has been carefully compared to an individual nutritional benchmark, created by the Unilever Food and Health Research Institute using dietary recommendations from international and national authorities. As well as improving our existing products, these benchmarks are also playing a major role in the development of future innovations.

Making a difference

The programme is already having a massive impact. All our brands will be making changes as a result, either through product reformulation or communication.

Proud history

Unilever has a long history of improving the nutritional quality of our products – Knorr first launched soup tablets with meat extract to provide nutrition for the poor in 1886. More recently, Unilever has been reducing the level of trans fats in our spreads since the 1990s, when we were the first company to take action on the issue.

Changing lives

Our programme is not all about reducing levels of fat, sodium and sugar, though. Nearly one-third of the world's children under five are malnourished, and malnutrition contributes to half of all childhood deaths. To try to help overcome nutrient deficiencies in developing countries, Unilever is also fortifying foods, such as enriching Annapurna salt with iodine in Africa and India.

Nutritional FunHere are some fun ways to find out more about nutrition. With small changes to your eating habits you can easily lead a healthier lifestyle.

Find out more about energyEveryone needs it, but too much can cause more harm than good. Use our step-by-step guide to help you get to grips with your energy requirements.

Are you a healthy weight?Let us calculate your Body Mass Index. Provide your height and weight details and we'll tell you how healthy you really are.

Find out how to burn off your lunchEveryone needs it, but too much can cause more harm than good. Use our step-by-step guide to help you get to grips with your energy requirements.

Exercise anywhere - there's no excuseYou don't have to join a gym or run a marathon to become healthier. Use your home and work surroundings to make a difference.

Is your waist out of control?Worried about too much fat around your waist? Use our calculator to work out your waist to height ratio.

Find out more about fatsIs fat our friend? Find out how it keeps us healthy and how to spot the good fats from the bad.

Hit the fat jackpotDo you ever wonder how much fat is in your food? Take a spin on our virtual slot-machine and see how you can hit the jackpot.

Make a healthy sandwich onlineSandwiches can be healthy, but they can also quickly become laiden with saturated fats. Make a healthy sandwich with our interactive tool.

Spot the good fats in your foodNot all fats are bad for you. Test yourself using this tool. 

Find out more about saltWorried about eating too much salt? Find out how you can change your eating habits without sacrificing great tasting food.

Experiment with herbsSwopping salt for herbs is the sensible and tasty cooking option. But do you know your basil or thyme from your oregano and coriander?

Find out more about fruit & vegetablesFinding the time to eat our full daily intake of fruit and vegetables can be almost impossible. Use our guide for ideas to help solve this problem.

What is in your shopping basket?Is your shopping helping you to eat enough fruit and vegetables? Play our speedy supermarket game to find out how easy it is to make better choices at the checkout.

Find out more about sugarSugar's a great natural product made by plants so why do we have to be careful about how much we have?

Are you getting the right carbs from your lunch?Knowing you're getting the right amount of carbohydrates, fibre and sugar from your favourite foods can be tricky. So let this simple tool help you get to the bottom of this problem.

WASTE & PACKAGINGOUR COMMITMENT

Halve the waste associated with the disposal of our products by 2020*OUR PERFORMANCE

Given the complexity of calculating the impacts of our product portfolio, we are investing in an automated process to allow us to measure progress regularly.An interim sample of 2010 data shows that our waste footprint has remained broadly unchanged.WHAT MATTERS MOST

Reducing the weight of packaging and increasing recycling.* Our environmental targets are expressed against a baseline of 2008 and on a 'per consumer use' basis. This means a single use, portion or serving of a product. We set our baseline by calculating the waste from over 1,600 representative products. We did this at an absolute level as well as on a per consumer use basis 14 countries. The calculation covers 70% of our volumes.Innovation in UnileverBrands and innovation are at the heart of everything we do. In Unilever, research and development (R&D) is the home of breakthrough technology for bigger, better, faster innovations. 

Success for us means creating products that keep pace with changes in consumer lifestyles and that appeal to people at all income levels.

Our R&D leadershipProfessor Geneviève Berger, Chief Research & Development Officer and Vindi Banga, President Foods, Home & Personal Care outline how our R&D teams create unique products with proven benefits for consumers around the world.

Overview of research & development in UnileverThe R&D function at Unilever employs over 6,000 professionals located in 20 countries spanning the globe from Mexico to Australia.

Expertise in UnileverThe journey from idea to branded product is only achieved with the collective expertise of our R&D professionals.

Sustainable innovationThe Unilever Sustainable Living Plan (launched in 2010) is the company's roadmap on how it will achieve a doubling of the business while halving the environmental footprint of its products.

Ethics of human researchThe Central Research Ethics Advisory Group (CREAG) advises the company on the ethics of involving human subjects in research studies. Its aim is to ensure that this remains an intrinsic part of Unilever’s R&D culture, and that Unilever operates to the highest ethical standards in this area.

Overview of research & development in UnileverThe R&D function at Unilever employs over 6,000 professionals located in 20 countries spanning the globe from Mexico to Australia.

A variety of job types

Roles range from those who break ground at the forefront of science to professional hairdressers and chefs who evaluate new products. Each role has an equally important focus: understanding the consumer, their lifestyle, needs and wants so that our brands deliver a great experience, every time.

With such a diverse set of roles, it’s no surprise that the portfolio of projects is also broad, with some taking decades to come to fruition while others deliver new products onto supermarket shelves within months.

It is this balance of long and short term projects that is crucial to Unilever R&D’s success; on the one hand correctly identifying the next breakthrough technologies and on the other being able to rapidly respond to competitor activity, or an opportunity to gain market share.

Research centres & people

The work of Research is to create proven breakthrough innovations which can then be developed further into fully formulated products. Research is carried out at six laboratories in the US, UK, Netherlands, India and China. Read more about our R&D centres and people. The labs cooperate closely with project team members

often being chosen from different locations for their expertise in a particular scientific area that’s critical to the delivery of that project. Increasingly project teams will also partner with the very best university academics and specialist companies.  Nearly half of Unilever’s ‘pipeline’ of innovations now utilises open innovation.Achieving breakthrough innovations starts with what we call ‘disruptive technology’, namely technology that makes a big impact on the market by meeting consumer needs better than all available alternatives.

In 2009 we launched the ‘Genesis Programme’, a more robust process for fuelling our longer term innovation pipeline. Genesis applies disruptive technology and consumer insights across multiple categories, enabling much bigger market opportunities. An example of applying one technology across different product categories is our Signal White Now toothpaste uses whitening technology first developed for our laundry brands.

Global & Regional Development Centres

Development is carried out at 31 Global Development Centres and over 90 Regional Development Centres. Here we take the breakthrough technologies from research and optimise them for launch. This includes activities such as: perfecting a formulation so that it is aesthetically pleasing and stable when stored; developing packaging that suits the product format, delights the consumer and minimises environmental impact; and ensuring the product is ready for large scale factory production. Other specialists develop fragrances, explore nutritional content and test products with consumers to ensure they live up to performance promises.

Product launch

Once all this is complete, the regional teams are then responsible for launching the product into their region. They draw on a deep understanding of local factors such as consumer preference, regulatory framework, legal considerations and competitor products.

At every stage in the process, the R&D teams collaborate closely with colleagues in marketing and supply chain to ensure the new product fits with the brand and can be successfully manufactured and distributed.

They also look at a technology that has been successfully used in one product category to see if it can be applied in another.

Ethics of human research

The Central Research Ethics Advisory Group (CREAG) advises the company on the ethics of involving human subjects in research studies.

Its aim is to ensure that this remains an intrinsic part of Unilever’s R&D culture, and that Unilever operates to the highest ethical standards in this area.

Consumer insight

Successful innovation is based on deep consumer insight. Consequently, we seek to build on our global strength in R&D with local knowledge of people’s habits and behaviours, and the benefits they gain from using our products. As such, in order to deliver the products that people want, we need to involve those people in the research and development process.

In addition to raising awareness of the ethical issues involved with using human subjects in research, CREAG (previously known as the Central Ethics Compliance Group) advises teams on ways of working and the quality of ethical processes.

Specifically, the Group ensures that:

the rationale for doing research including human subjects is clear and the benefits articulated

any risks to volunteers are minimised, understood and acceptable individuals give their consent voluntarily based on adequate information

CREAG ensures that research teams and Unilever as a whole understand why ethics is so important. Its remit includes shaping internal guidance and anticipating issues that may arise from, or impact, the organisation’s research programme.

CREAG members:

Professor Frans Brom (Chair)

Head of the Department of Technology Assessment of the Rathenau Institute and a Chair for the Ethics of Technology Assessment at the Department of Philosophy, Utrecht University. He focuses on the ethical and societal impact of science and technology and the interaction between ethics and political theory.

Professor Denis Fischbacher-Smith

Professor of Risk and Resilience at the University of Glasgow. His main research interests are in the areas of risk and crisis management, adverse events in health care and complexity and organisational performance.

Ms Claire Foster-Gilbert

Chief Executive of the Ethics Academy, a new educational charity. Formerly Director of the St Paul's Cathedral Institute for Ethics (which she co-founded), a lay canon at St Paul's Cathedral, and ethics adviser to the Archbishops' Council of the Church of England. She is a member of the British Medical Association's Medical Ethics Committee, and the UK's Gene Therapy Advisory Committee.

Professor Sian Griffiths

Professor of Public Health, Director of the School of Public Health and Primary Care, The Chinese University of Hong Kong.

Right Reverend Richard Holloway

Writer and broadcaster. He was Bishop of Edinburgh and Primus (Archbishop) of the Scottish Episcopal Church until he stood down in 2000.

Professor Pali Hungin

Dean of Medicine and Professor of Primary Care and General Practice at Durham University, UK.

Mrs Els Olsthoorn-Heim

An expert in health law with experience in policy research and scientific advisory work for several organisations in the medical field.

Dr Marcel Verweij

Associate Professor at the Ethics Institute and the Department of Philosophy of Utrecht University. He co-ordinates the international master programme in Applied Ethics, and teaches bioethics and ethical theory. His research focuses on ethical issues in public health and preventive medicine.

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Welcome to the Shareholder information. Here you will find information about Share Listings, Mergers Amalgamations and Demergers, Shareholding Pattern and answers to Frequently Asked Questions.

Stock Codes

Name of the Stock Exchange Stock Code

Bombay Stock Exchange Limited 500696

National Stock Exchange of India Limited

HINDUNILVR

ISIN INE030A01027

Shareholding Pattern

The Shareholding pattern as on 30.09.2011Shares held in physical and demat form as on 30.09.2011

Particulars No. of Shares %

Physical Segment    

Unilever and its Associates

113,48,49,460 52.55

Others 72,502,758 3.3574

Demat Segment    

NSDL 928,124,220 42.9792

CDSL 25,483,279 1.1801

View Shareholding Patterns for the past quarters.

ListingThe Company’s shares are listed and traded at the Bombay Stock Exchange Limited (BSE) and National Stock Exchange of India Limited (NSE).

Shareholding PatternView Shareholding Patterns for the past quarters.

DividendsFind information about how and when dividends are paid.

AGM informationKnow more about the 78th AGM of the Company scheduled on Thursday, 28th July, 2011

Press releasesAn Archive of HUL Press Releases over the years.

Latest press releases

HUL June Quarter 2012 Financial Results

23-07-2012:

Hindustan Unilever Limited announced its results for the quarter ending 30thJune 2012.

Rural India – An emerging powerhouse

23-07-2012:

Chairman Harish Manwani speech at 79th HUL AGM

HUL Board Meeting on July 23, 2012

10-07-2012:

Hindustan Unilever Limited (HUL) issued a communication to the Stock Exchanges today informing that a meeting of the Board of Directors will be held on Monday, 23rd July, 2012, at Mumbai to take on record the unaudited financial results for the quarter ended 30th June, 2012 along with the limited review report of the auditors for the corresponding period.

HUL March Quarter 2012 Financial Results

01-05-2012:

Hindustan Unilever Limited announced results for the Quarter and Financial year ending 31st March 2012.

Unilever reports on first year’s progress against ground-breaking Sustainable Living Plan targets

24-04-2012:

The report details the progress Hindustan Unilever is making towards meeting its Unilever Sustainable Living Plan targets. 

HUL Board Meeting on May 1, 2012

09-04-2012:

Hindustan Unilever Limited (HUL) issued a communication to the Stock Exchanges today informing that a meeting of the Board of Directors

HUL December Quarter 2011 Financial Results

06-02-2012:

Mumbai: Hindustan Unilever Limited (HUL) announced results for the December Quarter 2011.

HUL Board Meeting

25-01-2012:

HUL Board of Directors to meet on February 6, 2012 to take on record the unaudited financial results for the quarter ended 31st December, 2011.

HUL to enter into agreement with Unilever to market Brylcreem in India

20-01-2012:

HUL announced today that it will enter into an agreement with Unilever for manufacturing, marketing and distributing the Brylcreem brand in India.

HUL announces changes in its Management Committee

20-01-2012:

Hindustan Unilever Limited (HUL) today announced that Hemant Bakshi, currently Executive Director – Sales and Customer Development, HUL, has been appointed as Executive Director – Home & Personal Care, HUL.

HUL is the No.1 Employer of Choice in India

17-01-2012:

HUL tops Nielsen Campus Track of top B-Schools in India for 2012

Company structureHindustan Unilever Limited is India's largest Fast Moving Consumer Goods (FMCG) company. It is present in Home & Personal Care and Foods & Beverages categories. HUL has over 16,500 employees, including over 1500 managers

The fundamental principle determining the organisation structure is to infuse speed and flexibility in decision-making and implementation, with empowered managers across the company’s nationwide operations.

Board of DirectorsThe Board of Directors of the Company represents an optimum mix of professionalism, knowledge and experience. The total strength of the Board of Directors of the Company is nine Directors, comprising Non-Executive Chairman, four Executive Directors and four Non-Executive Independent Directors.

Management CommitteeThe day-to-day management of affairs of the Company is vested with the Management Committee which is subjected to the overall superintendence and control of the Board.

Management CommitteeThe day-to-day management of affairs of the Company is vested with the Management Committee which is subjected to the overall superintendence and control of the Board.

The Management Committee is headed by Mr. Nitin Paranjpe and has functional heads as its members representing various functions of the Company

Mr. Nitin Paranjpe - CEO and Managing DirectorMr. Nitin Paranjpe (49) joined the Company as a Management Trainee in 1987. 

Mr. R. Sridhar - Chief Financial OfficerMr. Sridhar Ramamurthy (47) is a Chartered Accountant (Gold Medallist) as well as a Cost Accountant and Company Secretary.

Mr. Hemant Bakshi - Executive Director, Home & Personal CareMr. Hemant Bakshi (47) joined the Company in June 1989 and has worked in various sales and marketing assignments spanning across Personal Products and Home Care categories.

Ms. Geetu Verma, Executive Director, FoodsMs. Geetu Verma (45), has over twenty two years of marketing, business and innovation experience in leading FMCG firms – P&G, Seagram, PepsiCo in India and Europe.

Mr. Manish Tiwary - Executive Director, Sales and Customer DevelopmentMr. Manish Tiwary (42) joined the Company in June 1995 and has worked in various sales, marketing and general management assignments across HUL.

Mr Pradeep Banerjee - Executive Director, Supply ChainMr. Pradeep Banerjee (53) joined the Company as a Management Trainee in 1980.

Ms. Leena Nair - Executive Director, HRMs. Leena Nair (43) is an Electronic Engineer who discovered her passion for people and HR and switched lanes.  She is a gold medalist and MBA in HR from XLRI, Jamshedpur.

Mr Dev Bajpai – Executive Director, Legal and Company SecretaryMr Dev Bajpai (46) is a Fellow Member of the Institute of Company Secretaries of India and has a law degree from University of Delhi.

About the Unilever FoundationThe Unilever Foundation is dedicated to improving quality of life through the provision of hygiene, sanitation, access to clean drinking water, basic nutrition and enhancing self-esteem.

At Unilever, we aim to double the size of our business while reducing our environmental impact and delivering increased social value.

The Unilever Foundation is a key action we are taking to help meet our ambitious goal of helping more than one billion people improve their health and well-being and, in turn, create a sustainable future - a core commitment of the Unilever Sustainable Living Plan.

“We live in a rapidly changing world. One where populations are growing, water is becoming increasingly scarce, and where food security is a growing issue. Unilever is committed to addressing the unmet social needs that our business can play a unique role in helping to solve. This is especially true in developing and emerging markets where we have deep roots,” said Keith Weed, Chief Marketing & Communications Officer.The Foundation is partnering with five leading global organisations – Oxfam, PSI, Save the Children, UNICEF, and the World Food Programme. By working together, we will be able to expand the delivery of life-saving solutions to drive systemic and scalable social change.

Additionally, these five global partners will serve as our primary beneficiaries in times of disaster and emergency relief so that we are able to provide critical resources expeditiously when there is the greatest need and on longer term projects to help rebuild communities.

Today we are facing significant complex challenges to our quality of life and that of future generations:

Over one billion people do not have access to safe drinking water. More than 3.5 million children under five years old die from diarrhoea and acute

respiratory infections annually. One child dies every four seconds from preventable and treatable causes due to the

lack of basic healthcare. 2.6 billion people lack access to improved sanitation. An estimated 925 million people suffer from chronic hunger.

The Unilever Foundation is taking a targeted approach to its social investments by focusing our support on these critical issues in order to create the type of change that is needed to improve the quality of people’s lives.

While we decided to concentrate our resources on five global partnerships, we recognise that other individual countries have social investment needs based on their unique circumstances. Therefore, the Unilever Foundation is also supporting other organisations in over 50 countries by providing direct funding, expertise, products, and employee support to help address country-specific needs primarily aligned with the Foundation’s mission.

A sustainable future for generations

At Unilever, addressing the social issues of our day have always been a core part of our DNA, dating back to the founding of the company.

Over the past decade alone, our social investments have benefitted an estimated 50 million people a year.

Through the Unilever Foundation, we are investing in the social issues where we believe we can have the greatest impact. Many of our brands such as Domestos, Lifebuoy and Dove are also committed to investing in these critical social issues. As part of our company’s growth strategy, our brands invest in behaviour change programmes, consumer engagement campaigns and product benefits.

Investing in social issues of the 21st century will help us meet our goal of improving a billion better lives and help create a sustainable future for generations to come.