Unilever weer bovenaan Dow Jones Sustainability Index

The results of the 2009 annual assessment conducted by SAM (the Swiss investment group) together with Dow Jones Indexes and STOXX Ltd, were announced earlier today.

Unilever achieved an overall score of 81% for our social, economic and environmental contribution, measured across 22 performance criteria.

We scored 100% for our record in Environmental Policy and Environmental Reporting; while leading scores in other criteria were Strategy for Emerging Markets (over 95%), Raw Material Sourcing (over 80%) and Climate Strategy (over 85%).

The annual review of the DJSI is based on a thorough analysis of corporate economic, environmental and social performance, assessing issues such as corporate governance, risk management, branding, climate change mitigation, supply chain standards and labour practices.

Paul Polman, Unilever CEO, said: “We are delighted to have been ranked the number one food company by the Dow Jones Sustainability Index for the 11^th year in a row.

Increasingly, successful organisations need to operate under long-term sustainable business models and reflect this in all their activities. I am proud of all the Unilever people who have worked hard to put sustainability at the heart of what we do.”

Unilever has participated in the annual assessment since the inception of the indexes in 1999. It has achieved “super sector” leader in the Food Category every year since.

Notes to Editors:

Launched in September 1999, the Dow Jones Sustainability Indexes are the first global indexes to track the financial performance of leading sustainability-driven companies worldwide. The indexes provide asset managers with reliable and objective benchmarks to manage their sustainability portfolios.

Inclusion of companies in the indexes is based on SAM’s comprehensive sustainability assessment. SAM analyses annually more than 1,000 exchange-listed companies, using proprietary tools based on economic, environmental and social criteria. Only the top 10% of the largest 2,500 companies worldwide qualify as members of the Dow Jones Sustainability World Index (DJSI World).

For more on the results, see www.sustainability-indexes.com.

About Unilever

Unilever’s mission is to add vitality to life. We meet everyday needs for nutrition, hygiene and personal care with brands that help people feel good, look good and get more out of life.

Unilever is one of the world’s leading suppliers of fast moving consumer goods with strong local roots in more than 100 countries across the globe. Its portfolio includes some of the world’s best known and most loved brands including thirteen €1 billion brands and global leadership in many categories in which the company operates. The portfolio features brand icons such as Knorr, Hellmann’s, Lipton, Flora, Dove, Lux, Persil, and Cif.

Unilever has around 174,000 employees in approaching 100 countries and generated annual sales of € 40 billion in 2008. For more information about Unilever and its brands, please visit www.unilever.com.