Dove has announced the Dove Forest Restoration Project, one of the biggest protection and restoration efforts from any beauty brand to-date. The project is designed to protect and restore forests, protect the habitats of endangered species, and improve the livelihoods of 16,000 people who call North Sumatra, Indonesia home.
In partnership with Conservation International, and in support of their collaboration with The Ministry of Environment and Forestry (MoEF), Dove will protect and restore 20,000 hectares of forest (an area approximately double the size of Paris) in North Sumatra, Indonesia – home to some of the richest biodiversity in the world – over five years.
As a brand that has progressed the conversation around beauty for nearly two decades, Dove is committed to protecting and restoring the beauty of the planet for everyone. The Dove Forest Restoration Project is estimated to capture over 300,000 tons of CO2 from the air and avoid the release of over 200,000 tons of CO2e emissions. These projected impacts will be monitored and evaluated in accordance with Indonesia’s articulated carbon policies.
This landmark initiative also builds upon ongoing plans Dove is accelerating to achieve a deforestation-free supply chain by 2023 and net zero emissions from its products by 2039:
Can we really celebrate beauty if it comes at the cost of the planet? The answer is no. We must demand action and care that goes further, both from ourselves and from the beauty industry at large. As a global brand with care at our core, we have a responsibility to use our platforms to drive change and positively impact the world around us. The Dove Forest Restoration Project builds on our commitments to caring for our planet and caring about how we make our products and what goes into them. With this long-term initiative, we extend this care to improving the health of the planet, striving for a more sustainable way of being.
Alessandro Manfredi, Global Executive Vice President of Dove
Dove believes it’s time to restore and give back more to the planet than we take. The Dove Forest Restoration project is the first major initiative from the €1 billion Unilever Climate & Nature Fund and aligns with the United Nations Decade on Ecosystem Restoration:
Climate change is one of the biggest threats facing our world. That’s why it’s so important for Dove – one of the largest beauty brands in the world – to take meaningful and decisive action. Last year, we announced a €1 billion Unilever Climate and Nature Fund, and I’m thrilled the Dove Forest Restoration Project will be its first major initiative. This is also the first step in Unilever’s Positive Beauty commitment to help protect and regenerate 1.5 million hectares of land, forests and oceans by 2030, which is more land than is required to grow the renewable ingredients in our beauty and personal care products.
Sunny Jain, President, Beauty & Personal Care at Unilever
The Dove Forest Restoration Project – which will target the South Tapanuli and Mandailing Natal districts – supports Conservation International in its agreement with the Indonesian Government to conserve and restore the region’s rich ecosystems and to promote the sustainable management of natural resources in ways that improve the livelihoods of the local communities.
Dove believes protecting and restoring the beauty of the planet requires more than straightforward commitments – it requires a complete transformation of the beauty industry. Real change requires continued partnership, persistent advocacy efforts, and commitment to do the work on the ground.
Now more than ever, our world needs care. Together, let’s restore the beauty of the planet.
