Dove has announced its Dove Forest Restoration Project that is designed to protect and restore forests, protect the habitats of endangered species, and improve the livelihoods of 16,000 people who call North Sumatra, Indonesia home.
The Dove Forest Restoration project is the first major initiative from the €1 billion Unilever Climate & Nature Fund and aligns with the United Nations Decade on Ecosystem Restoration.
Report: Envisioning Climate-positive Beauty
In partnership with Conservation International, and in support of its collaboration with The Ministry of Environment and Forestry, Dove will protect and restore 20,000 hectares of forest (an area approximately double the size of Paris) in North Sumatra, Indonesia over five years.
The Dove Forest Restoration Project is estimated to capture more than 300,000 tons of CO2 from the air and avoid the release of more than 200,000 tons of CO2 emissions.
This initiative also builds upon ongoing plans Dove is accelerating to achieve a deforestation-free supply chain by 2023 and net zero emissions from its products by 2039.
Alessandro Manfredi, global executive VP of Dove, said: "Can we really celebrate beauty if it comes at the cost of the planet? The answer is no. We must demand action and care that goes further, both from ourselves and from the beauty industry at large. As a global brand with care at our core, we have a responsibility to use our platforms to drive change and positively impact the world around us. The Dove Forest Restoration Project builds on our commitments to caring for our planet and caring about how we make our products and what goes into them. With this long-term initiative, we extend this care to improving the health of the planet, striving for a more sustainable way of being."
Sunny Jain, president, beauty and personal care at Unilever, said: "Climate change is one of the biggest threats facing our world. That's why it's so important for Dove—one of the largest beauty brands in the world—to take meaningful and decisive action. Last year, we announced a €1 billion Unilever Climate and Nature Fund, and I'm thrilled the Dove Forest Restoration Project will be its first major initiative. This is also the first step in Unilever's Positive Beauty commitment to help protect and regenerate 1.5 million hectares of land, forests and oceans by 2030, which is more land than is required to grow the renewable ingredients in our beauty and personal care products."
M. Sanjayan, CEO of Conservation International, said: "We are delighted to be partnering with Dove and the Government of Indonesia to restore forests in the region—an area that is profoundly important to the well-being of people and wildlife everywhere. When a brand like Dove puts climate change and nature at the heart of its purpose, the impact is game—changing. Together, Dove, Conservation International and Indonesia's leadership will build on the work we have started with Unilever to protect and restore this region, its wildlife, and support its communities. I look forward to continuing to create conservation success together in Indonesia. Investments like the Dove Forest Restoration Project are essential to changing the trajectory of the planet for the next generation."
