Becoming a Unilever supplier
Any individual, business, or organisation wanting to partner with us needs to go through our Unilever Supplier Qualification System (USQS).
In 2024, the programme evolved to reflect Unilever’s Growth Action Plan (GAP) announced in October 2023. Our aim is to maintain our position as market leaders and the Partner of Choice, with sustainability remaining a cornerstone of our strategy; exactly what we need to deliver our GAP.
We want to drive a focused action plan to unlock potential and deliver consistent value creation. We will achieve this by focusing on multi-year breakthrough innovations, driving category growth and premiumisation, and doubling down on our sustainability efforts.
We first introduced Partner to Win (PTW) in 2011, marking a shift in Procurement’s approach from transactional relationships to building strategic partnerships focused on collaborative innovation. However, in response to changing market conditions, Unilever pivoted its partnerships approach and launched Partner with Purpose in 2020 to better reflect our sustainability commitments. With our ongoing efforts to step up impact across our four sustainable pillars, and our partnerships programme now helping to drive the GAP, we have reintroduced Partner to Win to best capture our new strategic direction.
Powering Unilever’s Growth Action Plan with Partner to Win
We are building upon our diverse partner ecosystem to create opportunities for all. We welcome partners of all sizes - from small start-ups to global multinationals – to collaborate with us, either on a one-to-one basis, or as part of a multi-partner partnership. Whatever the dynamic, we expect all our partners to share our drive to deliver improved performance – focusing on faster growth, productivity and simplicity, and performance culture. All underpinned by our commitments to sustainability and respect for human rights, which is a foundation of responsible business.
Our PTW programme is designed to be a key enabler for the three fundamental pillars in our Growth Action Plan: delivering faster growth, driving productivity and simplicity, and stepping up our performance culture.
Faster growth
We are committed to focusing first on our 30 power brands, leveraging our partnerships to ensure consistent in-market execution and brand support for power brands. We will work together with our partners, relying on their expertise to drive brand superiority and address all elements of consumer preference. We will flourish with our partners by scaling multi-year innovation to drive mutual growth and improve the effectiveness of our investments, continually optimising our portfolio.
Productivity and simplicity
We are building back our gross margin, focusing on sustainability goals, and driving the benefits of our category-focused organisation. Our partners play a critical role in helping us achieve our sustainability targets across Climate, Nature, Plastics, and Livelihoods. We pledge to work with partners to improve process efficiency, reduce waste, and strengthen our frontline customer development roles to enhance productivity.
Performance culture
Truly effective partnerships involve collaboration, shared goals, and mutual support. Our diverse partner network will provide us with key insights, best practices, and innovative approaches to dial up our performance edge and help us focus on fewer, clearer priorities. Our ambition is to collaborate with our partners and create achievable goals that drive performance and mutual growth.