THE 5 LEVERS OF
CHANGE
UNILEVER SUNLIGHT PROJECT
Shanza & Yamna
MAKING SUSTAINABLE
LIVING UNDERSTOOD,
EASY, DESIRABLE,
REWARDING AND A
HABIT
UNILEVERS FIVE LEVERS FOR CHANGE
Published in 2011
Addresses behavioral change
People can be encouraged to make sustainable
choices that are understandable, easy,
aspirational, rewarding and habitual
The Sustain Ability Challenge successfully
overturned perceptions that sustainable living
costs more, showing instead that it can in fact
generate significant savings in household energy
and food bills
THE IDEA
One way to reduce environmental
impacts or improve health and
wellbeing on a mass scale is through
large numbers of people taking small
actions together which add up to
make a big difference. This idea and
the phrase small actions, big
difference
Nearly 800 million people do not
have access to safe drinking water
6.9 million children under 5 die
each year from preventable
diseases
2 million children die from
diarrhea and pneumonia, and 870
million still go to bed hungry
The world is consuming natural
resources at the rate of 1.5 planets
By 2030 even two planets would
not be enough
WHAT DO WE MEAN BY SUSTAINABLE
LIVING?
Sustainable living means living well and living
within the means of the planet. By living well we are
describing a standard of living where people have
access to and the ability to afford education,
healthcare, mobility, the basics of food, water, energy
and shelter, and consumer goods. By living within the
means of the planet we mean living
in such a way that this standard of living can be
sustained with the available natural resources and
without further harm to biodiversity, climate and
other eco-systems.
MAKING SUSTAINABLE LIVING COMMONPLACE BY
TURNING GOOD INTENTIONS INTO POSITIVE ACTION
Today, most consumers are aware of and concerned about
sustainability. This holds true all over the world, even if specific
local concerns vary.
For example, 95% of European consumers say protecting the
environment is an important personal concern.
However, as a society, weve been much less successful in
converting concern into action.
Around two-thirds say they want to make the world a better
place, a percentage that has changed little over the past five
years. Over the same period, the number of people who can be
described as active greens or conscientious consumers has
also remained about the same.
The majority of people can be described as middle greens
neither active greens, nor green rejecters.
So the challenge facing Unilever was how to shrink this
mainstream middle and expand the ranks of the conscious
consumer? How can they turn good intentions into positive
action?
To make something mainstream means creating a new social
norm
Given the urgency of climate change, Unilever had to consider
not just how to help people take small incremental steps
towards living more sustainably but also how to achieve a
paradigm shift in peoples approach to life such that a
sustainable lifestyle is seen to be aspirational
Using the Five Levers for Change model, they looked at the
major barriers that prevent people from taking action, the prime
motivations that make them want to change their behavior, and
the triggers that could act as a catalyst for change
THE 5 LEVERS OF CHANGE
Make it Understood:
Raise awareness and encourage acceptance
(Demonstration in advertisements)
Make it Easy:
Establish Convenience and confidence
(Demonstration, Live Events and Product Samples)
Make it Desirable:
Self and Society
(Emulate lifestyle and habits of people we respect)
Make it Rewarding:
The Proof and Payoff
(Demonstration in advertisements Put a number on it)
Make it a Habit:
Reinforce and Remind
(Ongoing Campaigns, Activities)
THE PROCESS
First select primary and secondary target audience
(example: tooth brushing behavior primary TG are children and
secondary TG are parents/teacher)
Understand their current behavior
(example: Brushing teeth once a day)
Conduct in-depth research
(about what target audience think, do and feel about the issue at
hand - oral health)
Conduct exploratory research to fill in the gaps
(find out the barriers, triggers and motivators)
BARRIERS
Insights which reveal the issues blocking target
audience from adopting habit
People often feel an emotional detachment and physical
distance from sustainability issues, either because they
believe the scale of the issue is beyond their power to make
a difference or because the problem is physically or
geographically remote.
Another major barrier is the visual and verbal language
around sustainability, which tends to focus on problems,
catastrophe and the need to make personal sacrifices.
Powerful images of damage to the planet, species under
threat and social disaster have been accompanied by dire
warnings of the consequences of inaction. Instead of
inspiring people to live sustainably, they have been turned
TRIGGERS
Insights which highlight how to motivate target
audience
to adopt the habit
There are moments in our lives which cause us to reflect on
our values and purpose in life, such as getting married,
having a baby, moving house, starting a new job or starting
retirement. People are far more open to change in these
transition zones, because their habits are in flux.
The scope of inspiring people to adopt new or different
behaviors to live more sustainably is likely to be greater at
these transition zones.
MOTIVATORS
Insights which suggest ways to ensure the habit is
sustained over time and becomes an established
part of
the routine
Research conducted by The Futures Company since 2008
shows that when people are asked what their main
motivation is for wanting to live sustainably, three
motivations consistently come top, year after year and in
every region of the world.
Personal and family health
Preserving the world for grandchildren and future
generations
A sense of social responsibility
BACKGROUND
A sustainable living social campaign which began in 5
countries in November 2013: Brazil, UK, USA, India and
Indonesia
Inspiring people to see the world differently through two
short films : Couples expecting their first child & Sketches by
the brand Dove
Those inspired by the films can do the following:
Billion Better Lives :
Social missions and campaigns of brands like Lifebuoy, Dove and Omo
Smarter Greener Living:
Families change their household habits to reduce energy and waste, and conserve water in the
home
Food For Life:
Buy food that is sustainably grown, reduce food waste and help children receive a nutritious school
meal who would otherwise go without.
Good Intentions to
Action
Unilever believes there is a three-part process they have to go
through. They have to:
see the possibilities about sustainability issues, not the
problems, and connect with them on a personal and
emotional level
(Films and Videos)
act by doing small actions, starting with things that are easy,
fun and social to do
(Options to Act)
join and feel part of a bigger community of people and be
able to see the big difference we can all make together
(Join the Movement)
SUNLIGHT ACTIVITIES
Unilever will unveil activities for you and your
family to take part in that will both create
bonding time while also providing a project with a
sustainable twist
For example: Go Green in Your Bathroom
A tutorial on how to make a recycling bin for the
bathroom in order to put empty plastic bottles
which are recyclable such as Dove.
BASIS OF PROJECT SUNLIGHT
An attempt to stimulate a growing community of people who
want to make the world a better place for children and who
believe sustainable living is possible
Founded on the belief that such is the urgency of climate
change, the unacceptability of child hunger, preventable
disease and lack of sanitation, and the possibility for people
to connect with each other, that there has never been a
better time to make the world a brighter place for children.
Project Sunlight brings together the social and environmental
missions of leading Unilever brands and the activities of the
Unilever Foundation into a single, global movement.
BRANDS OF PROJECT SUNLIGHT
Lifebuoy - to help more children reach their fifth birthday by
teaching millions of adults and children to wash their hands with
soap after going to the toilet and before eating
Dove runs a Self Esteem Project to help millions of girls to
improve their self-esteem through education programs
Omo, Persil and Surf are low temperature wash detergents to
help families cut their utility bills and CO 2 emissions
Lipton, Magnum and Knorr are committed to sustainably
grown ingredients and are helping farmers around the world to
grow better crops and improve the lives of small farmers. 36% of
Unilevers agricultural ingredients come from sustainable sources
WHAT S IN A NAME
WHY PROJECT SUNLIGHT?
Unilever chose the name Project Sunlight for three reasons:
1. Sunlight epitomizes the sense of possibility and optimism
which is the essence of Unilevers approach and the
way children inspire us to see the future in terms of
possibilities not problems.
2. As a tribute to our founder, William Lever, whose
audacious vision 130 years ago to make cleanliness
commonplace with Sunlight soap inspired Unilevers
equally ambitious purpose today: to make sustainable living
commonplace.
3. Sunlight is critical to life on Earth and will be key to
producing the worlds future renewable energy needs.
THE 5 LEVERS
METHOD APPLIED TO THE SUNLIGHT PROJECT
TARGET AUDIENCE:
CHILDREN & PARENTS
Children provide the inspiration to cause parents
to see the world in a more positive, anything is
possible way
Children have the potential to cause parents to
reappraise their values and lifestyles
Parents learn sustainable lessons from their
children and are encouraged by them to act
Parents and children would both like to do more
to improve and protect the environment together.
THE BARRIERS, MOTIVATORS & TRIGGERS
Barriers: Only 3 in 10 parents say that barriers such as lack
of time, lack of information or expense prevent them from
living sustainably. The major barriers are perceived
relevance to my world and emotional and physical
detachment from the world issues
Motivators: Creating a better future for children is one of
the top 3 motivations people give for wanting to live more
sustainable lifestyles and 3 in 4 parents say it is their main
motivation
Triggers: Major life events are key to changing lifestyles.
Having a first child is the event most likely to trigger a
change in lifestyle with 9 out of 10 parents of children aged
8-12 saying that they were motivated to make a change
when their first child arrived.
Project Sunlight makes
sustainability accessible for
people by making it intrinsic,
emotional and relevant to
their world not the world
7 out of 10 parents say
they learn about the
environment from
children who are taught
about it at school, so
inter-generational
learning will reinforce
the need to make it a
habit
financial savings (Saving
money from reduced hot water
use) and others will provide
product related rewards like
coupons at
[Link])
Project Sunlights digital
hub
[Link]
m offers lots of easy,
everyday, small actions
people can do, from
simple household
activities to making
more sustainable
shopping choices.
Celebrities getting involved
will enable people to feel
they are emulating the
lifestyles of people they
respect or aspire to be like
PROJECT SUNLIGHT
EXAMPLES
Using Unilevers Five Levers for Change behavior change model
Lifebuoy has developed a 21 day program using wall charts and stickers
to keep a daily tally of hand washing behavior. These are completed
with the help of parents to reinforce and recognize good behavior
The Pablo and Oliver program run by Signal and Pepsodent toothpaste
shows the fun times a father and son can have when brushing their
teeth at night, recognizing the positive role fathers can play in passing
on good habits to children
Dove has developed a new four hour badge program in partnership with
the World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts with input from the
worlds leading experts in the development of non-formal education on
body confidence
CONCLUSION
A global survey of young adults on their visions for
sustainable lifestyles was published by the United
Nations Environment Program (UNEP) in 2011.
According to this survey, very few young people
around the world cited dreams of luxury and
unlimited material comfort. These young adults
portrayed optimistic visions for their lives in the
future which included: the capacity to meet ones
needs and reach a middleclass standard of living, a
fulfilling job providing a sense of self-achievement, a
successful family and social life, and a clean
environment. Importantly, young adults seek security:
financial, social, environmental and personal.
HOW TO ENSURE SUSTAINABLE LIFESTYLE
When it comes to sustainability, studies have
found that our sense of empowerment to
make change and our ability to delay
personal gratification drive many behaviors
and daily decisions
Changes proposed have to fill the individuals
needs
Old behaviors need to be unlearned
Instant feedback and positive reinforcement are
critical
TRANSLATING SUSTAINABILITY INTO
EVERY DAY LIVES
Visualizing and Demonstrating
Prototype: The Family You by The Collaborating Centre for Sustainable Consumption
& Production (CSCP) and Collective Invention
Options, Access and Availability
The CSCP has developed for the REWE Group, one of the leading trading and travel
and tourism companies in Europe, the PRO PLANET product label system. The aim is
to support sustainable consumption in the mass market and to offer products with
sustainable added value at a good price
Innovation at all levels
Radical rethinking of systems and innovation at all levels of business, policy and
society. The CSCP is providing training programs and tools for the academic
community in emerging markets with the aim of encouraging and developing more
sustainability entrepreneurs. The SMART Start-Up initiative began with a program
introducing sustainable lifestyles and sustainable entrepreneurship into African
universities and colleges from 2007 to 2010. Currently it is applied throughout
Europe, in China and in Brazil
Motivation & Payoffs
Tax systems could be re-engineered to social ends, one of which could be to switch to
purchase taxes that make a distinction between basic needs and wasteful
consumption.