Results of impact investing

Progress and Forward—parts of the Dutch Unilever Pension Fund—each have their own investment policy, both engaged in impact investing. The positive results increased again in 2024*. (Results for 2025 will be available at the end of 2026.) At Progress, 5% of assets are ‘impact’, and at Forward, 3%. Our aim for Forward is to grow to 5% too.

With impact investing, we take things a step further than with our regular sustainable investment portfolios. The aim: to bring about deliberate, positive change globally. We do this through three Univest Sustainability Funds (USF’s)*, set up exclusively for Unilever pension funds worldwide.

Progress and Forward together invest almost €240 million in the USFs, which have a combined total of over €600 million. The number of companies we invest in this way grew from 275 in 2023 to 300 in 2024.

Real world impact
We see these companies and projects developing further and realising more of their sustainable ambitions. 2024 saw their true impact further increase.

Impact investments by Progress and Forward together achieved results such as:

  • Net CO₂ emissions saved:        105,000 tons
  • Sustainably farmed land:           385 hectares
  • Patients reached:                     250,000

The saved CO₂ emissions more than doubled from 2022 to 2023 and rose sharply again in 2024. The saving now exceeds the combined CO₂ emissions from all Progress and Forward equity and corporate bond holdings (93,800 tons CO₂). In concrete terms, in 2024 we've cut CO₂ emissions equivalent to the annual power use of about 13,000 households.

Additionally, 219 football fields’ worth of land was sustainably farmed, and 50,000 more patients were reached last year compared to the year before.

Examples of impact investments:

A blue building with a green roofAI-generated content may be incorrect.Nutris uses locally grown fava beans—the legume with the lowest CO₂ footprint of all plant-based proteins—and patented technology to make high-quality, nutritious products with minimal environmental impact. The Croatian company also promotes regenerative agriculture, improving soil health, boosting biodiversity, and helping farmers operate sustainably.

 

 

 


St1 Biokraft turns waste and residual flows into renewable energy (biogas and biomethane). Biomethane is a renewable energy source that replaces fossil fuels and thus saves CO₂ emissions. In 2024, the Nordic company traded 1 TWh (= 1 billion kilowatt hours) of biomethane, an estimated 90% CO₂ reduction over fossil fuels.

 

 

 

A large windmill on a boatAI-generated content may be incorrect.Havfram is a Norwegian company that builds innovative vessels for offshore transport and installation of (ever-larger) wind turbine blades and their foundations. Using advanced technology and sustainable solutions, it supports global energy transition and large-scale wind projects.

 

 

 

*The USFs invest in non-listed investment funds, which in turn invest in specifically sustainable companies.


March 2026