Enhancing Sustainable Supply Chain Practices through Digital Transformation: A Case Study of Unilever Plc
This consultancy project proposal examines how digital transformation can enhance sustainable supply chain practices at Unilever Plc. Unilever is presented as a multinational fast-moving consumer goods organisation operating across more than 190 markets, with a complex global supply chain and sustainability commitments linked to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. The proposal focuses on the challenges associated with achieving supply chain transparency, managing fragmented sustainability data, and balancing sustainable sourcing and operational costs. The project investigates how emerging digital technologies, particularly blockchain, the Internet of Things (IoT) and Artificial Intelligence (AI), could support greater transparency, traceability, operational efficiency and sustainability within Unilever's supply chain. The organisational analysis identifies issues including the complexity of tracing raw materials across multi-tier supply chains, fragmented procurement and sustainability information systems, and the tension between sustainability investments and short-term operational costs. The proposal also considers infrastructure readiness, data security and employee upskilling as factors affecting digital transformation. The research aims to examine how digital transformation technologies could improve sustainable supply chain planning at Unilever while supporting long-term business and environmental goals. Three objectives are established: examining sustainability challenges affecting Unilever's global supply chain, assessing how blockchain, IoT and AI could improve transparency, traceability and efficiency, and proposing strategic recommendations for integrating digital innovation into Unilever's sustainability framework. The central research question examines how digital transformation can contribute to an ethical, transparent and sustainable supply chain while maintaining operational efficiency. A qualitative exploratory case-study research design is proposed. The main emphasis is on secondary data, including Unilever's annual reports, sustainability information, digital transformation publications, company news, industry articles and analyst reports. Where feasible, primary data may be collected through semi-structured expert interviews and a short qualitative questionnaire. The proposed analysis includes thematic analysis, document review and descriptive statistics using relevant secondary numerical data. Validity is supported through triangulation, while reliability is addressed through consistent coding and an audit trail. The proposal also addresses ethical considerations, including research integrity, transparency, confidentiality, informed consent, anonymity, GDPR requirements, plagiarism avoidance, Harvard referencing and potential corporate bias or greenwashing. Overall, the project explores the potential contribution of digital innovation to Unilever's sustainability objectives and the wider responsible digitalisation of the FMCG supply chain.
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