Greenpeace has launched a campaign against Unilever-owned Dove over the brand's alleged contributions to plastic pollution.
A video titled ‘Toxic Influence: The Dark Side of Dove’ has been released by the global campaigning group showing the impact of plastic waste in Asia.
The film is a subversion of a Dove advert released in 2022 as part of the brand’s Self-Esteem Project, which showcased positive reactions to the soap-makers marketing.
Greenpeace’s new campaign claimed that this type of marketing draws attention away from the environmental impact Dove product’s are having on Asian communities.
A report released by Greenpeace International in 2023 found that Unilever sells an estimated 1,700 plastic sachets per second.
The study also alleged that an estimated 6.4 billion sachets were produced by Dove in 2022 and that these up polluting beaches and waterways in the Philippines and Indonesia.
“This powerful film shows the genuine human reaction to the hypocrisy which seeps through Dove and its slick marketing,” said Anna Diski, campaigner at Greenpeace UK.
“They can’t keep flooding the world with unimaginable amounts of harmful plastic.
“That’s why Dove must stop selling plastic sachets now and commit to phasing out single-use plastic within a decade.”
Unilever acknowledged its work is “far from over” in response to Greenpeace’s campaign.
“We are fully committed to working with industry partners and other stakeholders to develop viable, scalable alternatives that reduce plastic waste,” a spokesperson for Unilever said.
“We recognise the important role that we play to help make this ambition a reality - which is why plastic is one of our four sustainability priorities.
“But overcoming a challenge of this scale will require more systemic change.
“That’s why we’re calling for a UN treaty on plastic pollution that sets legally binding global rules and addresses the full lifecycle of plastic.”
It comes after Greenpeace activists shut down the entrances to Unilever’s HQ in Central London on 5 September.
Members of the group locked themselves onto barricades made to look like giant Dove products and unfurled a banner reading ‘Real Beauty isn’t this toxic’ across the building's facade.
It is also not the first time Unilever has faced scrutiny from Greenpeace over its environmental impact.
Greenpeace International denounced Unilever for being on track to sell 53 billion single-use plastic sachets in 2023.
The group also criticised Unilever's pledge to halve its use of virgin plastic by 2025, and stated it is set to overshoot this target by nearly a decade.
(Photo Credit: Alice Russels, Greenpeace)
