Unilever has beefed up its zero deforestation efforts with confirmation it will deliver on plans to source all its paper and cardboard packaging from sustainable and transparent sources ahead of schedule.

 

The consumer goods giant yesterday announced it will meet the target by the end of this year, five years earlier than originally planned.

 

Unilever's high profile Sustainable Living Plan originally set a target to source 75 per cent of paper and board for packaging from certified sustainably managed forests or from recycled material by 2015, rising to 100 per cent by 2020.

 

But the company is now predicting the 100 per cent target will be met by the end of this year, after it ensured 87 per cent of paper and cardboard packaging came from sustainable sources in 2014.

 

Unilever said the move meant wood used for lolly sticks, including for the company's popular Magnum ice creams, and other forms of packaging would now be sourced exclusively from sustainably managed sources.

 

The company also announced a new policy aimed to ensure all materials used that contain fibre obtained from wood, such as marketing materials, are traceable from certified and known sources by 2020. There is also a new target for 2019 to achieve certified recycled fibre in paper and board packaging.