COMPANY PROFILE AND LIST OF PRODUCTS

OUR HISTORY
Unilever's corporate mission to add vitality to life shows how clearly the business
understands 21st century-consumers and their lives. But the spirit of this mission
forms a thread that runs throughout our history.
HISTORY
Known until the early 1990s as Philippine Refining Company (PRC), Unilever
Philippines started as an oil milling business which at its peak produced nearly
100,000 tons of coconut oil annually. Today, the company is a leading manufacturer
of home and personal care products, foods, and ice cream. Its roster of brands
include Axe, Best Foods, Block & White, Breeze, Clear, CloseUp, Cream Silk, Domex,
Dove, Eskinol, Master, Ponds, Knorr, Ladys Choice, Lipton, Rexona, Selecta,
Sunsilk, Surf, Tresemme and Vaseline.
Recognised annually amongst the Top 20 Tax Payers in the country, Unilever
Philippines employs over 1,000 people directly, as well as provides jobs for 10,000
indirectly (i.e. distributors and suppliers), as a result of its business presence in the
country. Employees and business partners recognise that energy, creativity, the
resilience to face changes and make things better are all needed for business and
people to grow together.
Unilever is known to be one of the few companies in the industry that has
succeeded in keeping majority of its manufacturing base in the Philippines. Its
Personal Care unit made news by securing the right to manufacture deodorant ministicks for local and export markets. It has succeeded in entering the US market and
achieved the milestone on producing its 100 millionth stick in 2004.
The company has been a leader in introducing new technologies into the country
since the early days of its existence - margarine production in the 1930s, non-soap
detergents, shampoos and toothpaste in the 1960s and 1970s and state of the art
sulphonation technology and cogeneration power plant in the 1980s. The nineties
has seen the company focusing on several improvements in the Environment front
one of which was the introduction of the first 100% biodegradable detergent bar in
the Philippines. Unilever works closely with the community and other NGOs to
protect and improve the environment.
Unilever Philippines is also a leading company in the area of Human Resources
Management and Development. Unilever has for decades also been known in the
industry as a sound training ground for young Filipino graduates. Some of its
managers have progressed to senior levels in government and public life. Unilever
seeks to manage and grow its business sustainably, focusing on three pillars as set
out by the Unilever Sustainable Living Plan Health & Well-Being, Environmental

Impact and Enhancing Livelihoods. We will developnew ways of doing business if we

are to meet the needs of the billions of people in the developing world who are yet
to become consumers and deserve a better quality of life.
1. Help more than one billion people take action to improve their health
and well-being
Reduce Diarrhea and Respiratory Diseases

Hand washing Vaseline Soap

Improve Oral Health

Oral Hygiene Pepsodent Toothpaste

2. Halve the environmental footprint of our products

Water: Reduce water use in laundry process via easy rinse products

Waste: Tackle Sachet and other Residual Waste

3. Source 100% of our agricultural raw materials sustainably

Sustainable Sourcing: Supply of Tuber for Ube Ice Cream Selecta

Enhancing Livelihoods: Microentrepreneurs (Neighborhood Selling Super

Stores)

Aside from this, the business will ensure it helps to continue in enhancing the lives
of the communities it serves through its other sustainable programs.

Hunger and malnutrition continue to be a national pandemic affecting

thousands of school-age Filipino children. Improving Filipino childrens access
to better health opportunities is a core objective of our mission as a company
in working to create a better future everyday.

Environment care is a primary concern in Unilever Philippines. The company

is committed to: ensure that our operations do not pollute, encourage our
neighbours not to pollute, and encourage wider participation to support our
environmental advocacies.

Helping improve the lives of marginalized women and Filipino families is also
part of our journey towards sustainable growth.

Recognised by various sectors and award-giving bodies, Unilever is proud of its 86

years of heritage in the Philippines and is dedicated to growing its operations in the
country in the future.
TIMELINE

19TH
CENTURY

Although Unilever wasn't formed until 1930, the

companies that joined forces to create the business
we know today were already well established before
the start of the 20th century.

1900S

Unilever's founding companies produced products

made of oils and fats, principally soap and
margarine. At the beginning of the 20th century
their expansion nearly outstrips the supply of raw
materials.

1910S

Tough economic conditions and the First World War

make trading difficult for everyone, so many
businesses form trade associations to protect their
shared interests.

1920S

With businesses expanding fast, companies set up

negotiations intending to stop others producing the
same types of products. But instead they agree to
merge - and so Unilever is created.

1930S

Unilever's first decade is no easy ride: it starts with

the Great Depression and ends with the Second
World War. But while the business rationalises
operations, it also continues to diversify.

1940S

Unilever's operations around the world begin to

fragment, but the business continues to expand
further into the foods market and increase
investment in research and development.

1950S

Business booms as new technology and the

European Economic Community lead to rising
standards of living in the West, while new markets
open up in emerging economies around the globe.

1960S

As the world economy expands, so does Unilever

and it sets about developing new products, entering
new markets and running a highly ambitious

acquisition programme.
1970S

Hard economic conditions and high inflation make

the '70s a tough time for everyone, but things are
particularly difficult in the Fast Moving Consumer
Goods (FMCG) sector as the big retailers start to
flex their muscles.

1980S

Unilever is now one of the world's biggest

companies, but takes the decision to focus its
portfolio, and rationalise its businesses to focus on
core products and brands.

1990S

The business expands into Central and Eastern

Europe and further sharpens its focus on fewer
product categories, leading to the sale or
withdrawal of two-thirds of its brands.

THE
21ST
CENTURY

The decade starts with the launch of Path to

Growth, a five-year strategic plan, and in 2004
further sharpens its focus on the needs of 21st
century consumers with its Vitality mission