Unilever's homecare factory in Hefei of East China's Anhui province and a Truliva factory - a water treatment technology factory located in Cixi of East China's Zhejiang province - both received on Sunday a six-star zero carbon certification during the ongoing fifth China International Import Expo.

The certification, the highest level of its kind featuring intelligent production, digitalization and use of renewable energy, was granted by global testing and certification service provider Bureau Veritas. It is part of Unilever's efforts to realize zero carbon emission across all its factories by 2030.

The zero carbon certification is an important reflection of the company's continued support and use contribution towards China's sustainability agenda, said Alan Jope, CEO of Unilever.

"This certification achievement will be shared throughout our operations worldwide so that this leading-edge practice can be replicated," he added.

It is the fifth year in a row for Unilever to be present at the CIIE. Its exhibition area has exceeded 1,000 square meters this year, the largest in five years. Over time, it has introduced more than 10 brands into the Chinese market via the CIIE. Love home and planet, the laundry detergent brand which made its China market debut at the first CIIE, started localized production in 2020.

Japanese men's fragrance brand Proudmen under Unilever was showcased to Chinese consumers for the first time via this year's CIIE.

The year 2022 marks Unilever's 100th year of investment in China. Over time, it has invested over $3 billion in the market.

"Unilever China is critical to Unilever's success, and we have explicitly and repeatedly called out China as a strategic priority," said Jope.

[email protected]