Cleaning products are having a moment as the world works harder to keep surfaces sanitized amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
For a top supplier like Unilever, what better time to overhaul the way cleaning products are developed and produced?
Unilever emits 100 million metric tons of carbon each year, but has plans in place to reach net zero by 2039.
But a more recent pledge by Unilever details an effort to remove fossil fuels from its cleaning products by 2030.
The company plans to replace petroleum-derived chemicals -- many of which are used in de-greasing formulas -- with plant or algae-based ones.
Unilever says it is working with major suppliers, including Dow Chemical, on the new formulas.
An investment of 1 billion euros will help finance the research and boost production.
Unilever says the biggest hurdle will be the challenges facing suppliers, who may struggle to scale up production in a time of unprecedented demand.
