Unilever lobbying expert calls for ‘agreed system’ for scoring trade bodies on climate

Fiona Duggan says convergence among companies is needed when it comes to trade association reviews  

A responsible lobbying specialist at Unilever has called for an “agreed system” among companies for assessing the climate credentials of trade groups.

“We need to avoid multiple corporates coming up with multiple scoring systems for trade association reviews,” said Fiona Duggan, a senior sustainability manager at the consumer goods giant, during a webinar hosted by the Institutional Investors Group on Climate Change.  

She pointed out that the current lack of convergence was not useful for companies or trade associations.  

Unilever’s inaugural trade review, published last year, was the first to fully align with the expectations of shareholder network Climate Action 100+.  

Its second, published in March, concluded that the number of trade bodies with no instances of misalignment with the firm’s own position on climate has risen from 13 to 18. 

Unilever is among a handful of companies to be praised for its responsible lobbying efforts – along with the likes of IKEA and Enel – although dozens of others have undertaken reviews.   

Duggan urged her peers not to be intimidated about joining the ranks, noting the increase in information available to support efforts and drive convergence. 

Last month, the World Business Council for Sustainable Development published a guide for companies seeking to engage their trade associations on lobbying. 

Duggan described undertaking Unilever’s review as “straightforward” and said it “should be standard practice”. 

If more companies followed suit, she added, there would be “more incentive for our associations to take better action and to take actions faster”.

When asked if Unilever had plans to expand its lobbying reviews to other sustainability topics, such as biodiversity, Duggan said no decisions had been made.  

“I think it’s important that if a company makes a commitment, and they make a commitment to align their lobbying with that commitment, then it should fall within scope,” she said.