Helping deliver on sustainable social development outcomes that drive human progress should be the topmost priority for businesses, says David Kiu, vice president of sustainable business and communications, Unilever.

In the pursuit of profit, companies often lose sight of environmental or social concerns; but to thrive in the 21st century, these concerns should not be an after-thought but a priority. Failure to address these issues would mean failure to live up to the expectations of consumers today, who are demanding that companies behave responsibly, says David Kiu, consumer goods giant Unilever’s vice president of sustainable business and communications.

This is why Unilever, in recent years, has been showing leadership in raising sustainability standards throughout its business units and at geographies where it operates. The company, like many large multinationals, is in a powerful position to influence communities and the environment because its products and services touch the lives of millions and even billions of people.

The Anglo-Dutch company, which set a vision in 2010 to “double the size of the business whilst reducing our environmental footprint and increasing positive social impact”, has even proved that behaving responsibly can boost profits.

via The business case for improving human lives: David Kiu | News | Eco-Business | Asia Pacific.