Becoming a Unilever Supplier

The USQS is a single, global platform that gives Unilever a complete overview of our partner network and gives our partners a better understanding of how we choose to operate. It also allows us to support any partners needing help in meeting essential criteria for doing business with us, such as that outlined in our Responsible Partner Policy (RPP) (PDF 4.45 MB). Visit Human rights in our value chain for more information on the RPP and download our RPP Implementation Guidance (PDF 3.07 MB).

Our supplier qualification system:

• Identifies approved partners for the products and services we want to buy
• Allows us to conduct necessary due diligence and assess risk based on the goods or services being sourced and the geographies our partners operate in
• Identifies where further audit verification is needed and holds a history of audits that have been conducted
• Helps us identify which partners need support to meet the Mandatory Requirements of the Responsible Partner Policy

A successful registration in USQS qualifies you to partner with us.

If you are an existing supplier but you have not completed the USQS registration yet, or want to check your current status, please reach out to your Unilever procurement or business contact, or email USQS.helpdesk1@unilever.com. Alternatively, once onboarded, you can check your status on Unilever’s Supplier Portal.

Growing together with integrity: RSPFirst

We want to work with partners who share our purpose and values. Our Responsible Sourcing Programme helps us to implement our commitment to conduct business with integrity and transparency, with respect for universal human rights and environmental sustainability, as outlined in our Responsible Partner Policy (RPP).

Unilever’s RPP sets the standard for our Responsible Sourcing Programme. It articulates our 17 Fundamental Principles and defines the Mandatory Requirements and Mandatory Management Systems that partners must be able to meet to do business with us. It also outlines our Future Mandatory Requirements that partners will need time to prepare to meet.

In June 2021, we launched our RSPFirst programme to ensure all our suppliers can – and do - meet or exceed the requirements of our Responsible Sourcing Programme. If a new supplier cannot meet our terms, we won’t onboard them into our systems and won’t be able to raise a purchase order for business with them. Likewise, if an existing supplier fails to remain compliant with our requirements, Unilever will not be able to raise new purchase orders for business until they can once again meet all our requirements.

Any supplier that cannot meet the terms of our Responsible Sourcing Programme, or is in any way unsure of their compliance status, is encouraged to get in touch with their Procurement or business contact.

Find out more about the RPP principles and our RSPFirst programme, or download the full RPP policy (PDF 4.45 MB) and our RPP Implementation Guidance (PDF 3.07 MB).

Actual or suspected material breaches of our RPP may be reported to Unilever by phone or online. Reports can be submitted confidentially and anonymously (where permitted by law). For more information or to raise a concern, visit the Unilever Code Support Line.

Our Future Mandatory Requirements for suppliers

If you are a supplier with us or are looking to become one, you’ll need to be able to meet – or exceed – the Mandatory Requirements of our RPP through the implementation of your own codes and policies. The RPP also provides insight into requirements that will become mandatory in the foreseeable future. These are significant requirements that will take time to prepare for in advance of them becoming mandatory. Our Future Mandatory Requirements are listed below.

Future Mandatory Requirements in the Business Integrity & Ethics pillar

• Fundamental Principle 1 - Legal Compliance & Countering Corruption

  • Future Mandatory Requirement: 1.17 - Compliance with laws: All relevant laws are complied with as they become binding on business partners operating in, or supplying to, applicable jurisdictions.
  • Applicable to: All suppliers
  • Target date: From the date of relevant law
  • See our commitment on complying with legal requirements in our Code of Business Principles (PDF 8.52 MB):
• Fundamental Principle 3 - Sourcing & Manufacturing Products

  • Future Mandatory Requirement: 3.15 – Animal Welfare: Business partners supplying eggs or egg ingredients will only supply from cage-free egg sources.
  • Applicable to: Business partners supplying eggs or egg ingredients
  • Target date: 2025
  • See our commitment on cage-free eggs at Farm animal welfare

Future Mandatory Requirements in the Human Rights pillar

• Fundamental Principal 9 - Fair Wages

  • Future Mandatory Requirements:
    9.13 – Living Wage: All workers of business partners directly providing goods and services to Unilever must earn at least a Living Wage or Living Income. A Living Wage must be achievable within normal working hours (not including overtime), whether the worker is paid on a salary, hourly or volume output/piece-rate/quota basis.
    9.14 – Living Wage: A Living Wage approach is implemented and updated annually to ensure that all workers receive wages (or appropriate portion of income) meeting or exceeding the localised Living Wage as defined by one of the methodologies recognised on the Unilever Living Wage web page
  • Applicable to: All suppliers
  • Target dates:
    • At least 80% of workers paid a Living Wage by 2028. 100% of all workers paid a Living Wage by 2030.
    • In the short term (up to 2026) we are working with suppliers, covering 50% of our spend, who sign the Unilever Living Wage Promise or make their own commitment to assess their current situation and identify any compliance gaps, create strategies to address these, and monitor and report on progress. This will allow us to develop similar models that will help all partners.
  • See our commitment on Living Wages at A living wage

Future Mandatory Requirements in the Planet pillar

• Fundamental Principle 15 - Protect & Regenerate Nature

  • Future Mandatory Requirements:
    15.10 - Biodegradability of organic ingredients: Data on biodegradability of organic (carbon-containing) ingredients is made available to Unilever according to internationally recognised OECD test methods.
    15.11 - Biodegradability of organic ingredients: Organic (carbon-containing) ingredients and formulations are 100% biodegradable.
  • Applicable to: Suppliers of ingredients and formulations used in Home Care, Beauty & Wellbeing and Personal Care products, when informed by Unilever.
  • Target date: 2030
  • See our commitment on biodegradability at How we’re working to make our product formulations biodegradable
• Fundamental Principle 16 - Climate Action

  • Future Mandatory Requirements:
    16.2 - Data for GHG reporting: When requested, footprint data for product level GHG emissions for the materials sold to Unilever is shared for use by Unilever in public reporting and to authorities on Unilever’s own GHG reduction targets. This should be done via an agreed methodology and include third-party verification.
    16.3 - Management Systems for GHG: An environmental management system related to GHG emissions reduction is in place, implemented and periodically updated to identify and mitigate GHG emissions.
  • Applicable to: Suppliers invited to the Unilever Climate Programme
  • Target date: 2030
  • See our commitment on greenhouse gas emissions at Decarbonising our business and find out about our Supplier Climate Programme
• Fundamental Principle 17 - Waste-free world

  • Future Mandatory Requirements:
    17.8 - Plastic packaging: Suppliers of plastic packaging only supply plastic that is designed to be fully reusable, recyclable, or compostable.
    17.9 - Plastics inventory: Suppliers of plastic packaging develop and disclose a plastics inventory to support the transparency and traceability efforts (related to plastics) of Unilever or other downstream parties. This includes relevant data such as virgin fossil-based content, post-consumer recycled content and detail on the ability of the plastic to be reused, recycled, or composted.
  • Applicable to: Suppliers of plastic packaging
  • Target date: 2025
  • See our commitment on100% reusable, recyclable or compostable plastic packaging at 100% reusable, recyclable or compostable

Innovate with us

A significant portion of our future growth will come from innovating and delivering new, leading-edge products into the marketplace. We invest heavily in relationships that allow us to share capabilities and co-innovate because we know the majority of our future innovations will come from collaborations with our strategic partners. This inclusive way of working allows us to nurture open relationships and encourages our respective research and development teams to work together to uncover new technologies and innovations that can turbo-charge our impact.

We know our partners often do business with other companies that operate in the same competitive markets as we do, so we pride ourselves on doing business differently. We’ve moved away from traditional buying/selling relationships and we’re pioneering more agile ways of doing business which we hope will make us a partner of choice to innovate with.

If you’ve got an idea for a new purpose-led innovation, please contact your Unilever Procurement Manager to discuss how we can bring it to life together.

Read more about Innovation in Unilever and find out how you can Innovate with us.

How to invoice us

Find out about our e-invoicing processes, including how to check the status of a payment.