History:
Hindustan Unilever Limited (HUL) is the Indian subsidiary of Unilever which is a British-Dutch multinational company. It was incorporated on 17th October 1933 as Lever Brothers India Limited by Lever brothers of the United Kingdom. It was renamed ‘Hindustan Lever Limited’ in 1956. The company was renamed in June 2007 as ”Hindustan Unilever Limited”.It is headquartered in Mumbai, Maharashtra, India. Lever brothers first commenced operations in India in the summer of 1888 when crates full of the sunlight soap bars, embossed with the words “Made in England by Lever Brothers”.
Introduction:
The Company is in the fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) business. Its products include home care, personal care, food, and refreshments. HUL has over 35 brands spanning 20 distinct categories. As per Nielsen Market Research data, two out of three Indians use HUL products.
Brands and Products: The Company has about 21,000 employees and has sales of INR 38,273 crores (the financial year 2019-20). HUL is a subsidiary of Unilever, one of the world’s leading suppliers of Food, Home Care, Personal Care, and Refreshment products with sales in over 190 countries and an annual sales turnover of €52 billion in 2019. Unilever has over 67% shareholding in HUL.
Here are different categories of Brands and Products:
Food: Annapurna salt and Atta (formerly known as Kissan Annapurna), Bru coffee, Brooke Bond tea(3 Roses, Taj Mahal, Taaza, Red Label), Kissan squashes, ketchup, juices, jams, Lipton ice tea Knorr soups & meal makers, soupy noodles, Kwality Wall’s frozen dessert, Magnum (ice cream), Horlicks (Health Drink).
Homecare brands: Active Wheel detergent, Cif Cream Cleaner, Comfort fabric softeners, Domex disinfectant/toilet cleaner, Rin detergents and bleach, Sunlight detergent and color care, Surf Excel detergent and gentle wash, Vim dishwasher, Magic – Water Saver
Personal care brands: Aviance Beauty Solutions, Axe deodorant, and aftershave lotion and soap, LEVER Ayush Therapy ayurvedic health care and personal care products, International breeze, Brylcreem hair cream, and hair gel, Clear anti-dandruff hair products, Clinic Plus shampoo and oil, Close Up toothpaste, Dove skin cleansing & hair care range,, Denim shaving products, Pears soap, body wash, Pepsodent toothpaste, Pond’s talcs and creams, Rexona, Sunsilk shampoo, Sure antiperspirant Vaseline petroleum jelly, skincare lotions.
Water purifier brand: The Pureit Water Purifier.
HUL has various innovation facilities (Research and development, Research and discoveries, Product innovation, etc) to provide products with high quality, according to the requirements. HUL is taking a lot of initiatives and campaigns strengthening the fibers of humanity and helping the underprivileged society of the country, such as Swachh Aadat, Swachh Bharat, Greenhouse gases, Opportunities for women, Waste, and packaging.
Awards: HUL received a lot of awards some of which are listed below:
- HUL’s purpose-driven brand Surf excel bagged a Gold at the ‘WARC Prize for Asian Strategy 2017’ for the Ramadan campaign ‘Madad Ek Ibadat’ (Winning with brands and innovation)
- HUL adjudged the Most Innovative Company in India, in Forbes’ list of The World’s Most Innovative Companies, 2017 (Winning in the marketplace)
- HUL won an award for excellence in Energy Conservation and Management from Maharashtra Energy Development Agency (MEDA), Confederation of Indian Industry, Green Tech(Winning through continuous improvement)
- HUL emerged as the Aon Best Employer of 2018(Winning with people)
- HUL Mumbai Office felicitated with the ‘Platinum’ rating, and the IGBC Green Existing Building – PLATINUM award by The Indian Green Building Council (IGBC)(Unilever Sustainable Living Plan)
Controversy:
Mercury pollution: In 2001 a thermometer factory in Kodaikanal run by Hindustan Unilever was accused of dumping glass contaminated with mercury in municipal dumps, or selling it on to scrap merchants unable to deal with it appropriately. Protests by local NGOs and Greenpeace lead to the shutting down of the factory in March 2001. After protest by activists led by Dr. Deepak Malghan of IIM, Bangalore. Hindustan Unilever admitted before court to being guilty in the case in 2010.
Triclosan: Several academic papers have pointed out the firm’s continued use of the antibacterial agent Triclosan (‘Active B’) in India because it is under review by the American Food and Drug Administration.
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