Michael Stewart is the Chief Corporate Affairs Officer of Unilever, a global consumer goods giant whose products are used by millions of consumers worldwide. Unilever says “high animal welfare remains important” to its business, yet it revoked its global cage-free commitment, leaving millions of hens behind bars. Its promises of responsible sourcing means nothing when corporate greed takes priority over animal suffering.
In 2018, Unilever promised to go cage-free globally by 2025. It achieved cage-free sourcing in Europe and North America but then revoked its global commitment, leaving millions of hens condemned to life in cages. Unilever proved it could deliver on its promise. Then it decided that promise no longer applied worldwide.
The consequences are enormous. Millions of hens face a lifetime trapped in cramped wire cages, unable to fully spread their wings, walk freely, or nest. They are forced to stand on wire flooring, crammed alongside other hens with little room to move. Some suffer feather loss and injuries from constant rubbing against cage wires. They’re even forced to lay eggs on the rotting corpses of their cage-mates. These are living, feeling animals, denied even the space to perform their most basic natural behaviors.
And the betrayal extends beyond the animals. Customers in Asia, Africa, Latin America, and other markets are left buying products from a company that has walked away from its promise of better animal welfare. Are these customers—and the animals in their supply chains—not worth the same commitment?
Unilever says that “high animal welfare remains important” to its Foods business. But what does that commitment mean if it only holds in certain parts of the world? Why should customers in Europe and North America benefit from cage-free sourcing while customers elsewhere are left with eggs from hens confined in cruel cages? A company’s ethical standards should not depend on where its customers live.
Unilever made a global promise, built trust around it, and then walked away. Its leadership must answer for that decision. Michael Stewart must push Unilever to reinstate its global cage-free commitment and publish a clear, time-bound plan to eliminate cages across every market.
Click the “Take Action” button below to email Michael Stewart and demand that Unilever stop making some customers, and millions of hens, pay the price for its greed.