The "Farewell To The Forest" campaign by Unilever is an impactful Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiative aimed at raising awareness about deforestation and its environmental consequences.

1. Eco-Sustainability: Unilever’s CSR
Commitment Through “Farewell To The Forest”
Unilever, a multinational consumer goods company founded in 1929, is renowned for its wide
range of products in food, beverages, home, and personal care. Some of its brands include Dove,
Knorr, Lipton, Magnum, and Hellmann’s. The brand is recognized for its commitment to
sustainability and social responsibility, for which it launched the Unilever Sustainable Living
Plan to tackle environmental and social challenges and showcase its dedication to making a
positive impact.
The “Farewell to the Forest” campaign is one of Unilever’s initiatives targeting to raise
awareness about the issue of deforestation. It highlights the rapid global loss of forests and points
out the impact on urban areas, including issues like droughts, flooding, air quality, and medicine
production. The campaign features a symbolic character, the ‘Treefugee,’ who is escaping from
the forest to seek refuge in a city, prompting viewers to consider the safety of trees in urban
locations compared to their natural habitats.
Its decision to launch this campaign lines up with its commitment to sustainability, highlighting
the interconnections of environmental health and the well-being of communities worldwide. By
addressing the crucial issue of deforestation, it aims to inspire action and underline the
importance of preserving and protecting forests for the benefit of the environment and society.
The Campaign:
The “Farewell To The Forest” campaign by Unilever is an impactful Corporate Social
Responsibility (CSR) initiative aimed at raising awareness about deforestation and its
environmental consequences. The Campaign gives a powerful message, suggesting that trees
might be safer in the city rather than in the forest, which prepares an interesting story to reveal.

2. The video features a tree making a symbolic expedition to central London, conveying the notion
that it believes it will be harmless to be surrounded by humans in the city rather than in the forest.
During the video, participants observe and touch the tree, illustrating a connection between
people and nature.
The tree believes people can solve deforestation by working together. The campaign wants
people to notice how fast forests are disappearing worldwide and understand the link between the
environment and our actions. The campaign tells an appealing story with a symbolic character,
the ‘Treefugee,’ and shares impactful statistics like the destruction of 48 football fields of forest
per minute. Its goal is to make people consider the importance of saving and safeguarding forests.
Additionally, the “Farewell To The Forest” campaign supports Unilever’s bigger goal of
sustainability. The brand wants all materials in its products to be sourced sustainably, especially
focusing on decreasing the environmental impact of deforestation.
Motive of the Campaign:
The “Farewell To The Forest” campaign by Unilever aimed to make people aware of a big
problem: cutting down too many trees. They wanted to show how quickly forests are
disappearing and why it matters for the environment. The campaign used a story about a tree
going to the city to make people consider the importance of saving forests. It
also wanted to show that they care about the environment by working to use materials in their
products more responsibly and reduce harm to forests. The goal was to get people to pay
attention, care about the issue, and take action to protect the forests.
Key Elements of the “Farewell to the Forest” Campaign

3. 1. Partnership with Ad Agencies: Unilever collaborated with creative agencies DAVID and
Ogilvy & Mather London, leveraging their expertise in advertising and storytelling.
2. Deforestation Awareness: The core objective is to raise awareness about the pressing issue
of deforestation, highlighting its harmful impact on the environment and climate change.
3. Online Platform: The commercial is strategically planned to run online, maximizing its reach
and engagement, especially before the United Nations Conference on Climate Change.
4. Strategic Timing: The release timing is strategically planned just before the United Nations
Conference on Climate Change, aligning the campaign with a global event for maximum
impact.
5. Global Collaboration: It acknowledges the need for collaborative efforts and engages in
partnerships with NGOs, governmental bodies, and corporations to increase the impact of its
environmental initiatives.
6. Digital Impact: The campaign aims to connect digitally, leveraging the digital platform to
reach a global audience and encourage discussions on environmental conservation.
7. Focus on Deforestation Mitigation: The “Zero Deforestation” pledge and the partnership
with WWF underscore Unilever’s commitment to, actively contribute to mitigating
deforestation and protecting vital ecosystems.
Deforestation-Free Supply Chain Strategy in “Farewell to the
Forest”:
 Raw Material Origins Traceability: Collaborating with major technology firms and
innovative start-ups to gain a deep understanding of the impact of sourcing, especially in the
critical first mile.
 Partnering: Utilizing technology in partnership with suppliers and industry collaborators to
establish more traceable and transparent supply chains.
 Transparent Verification: Developing independent verification protocols and piloting them
in the sourcing of palm oil, cocoa, and soy.

4.  Stronger Monitoring and Response: Leveraging digital capabilities to enhance monitoring,
prediction, and response to situations where deforestation is likely to occur. This includes
identifying high-risk areas and taking proactive action where needed for maximum impact.
Campaigns Address Environmental Issues and Deforestation by
Unilever:
1. Greenpeace – Rang-tan’s Forest: This animated campaign highlights the impact of palm oil
production on rainforests and orangutans. It tells the story of Rang-tan, a monkey displaced by
deforestation.
2. WWF – #SaveOurForests: The World Wildlife Fund runs various campaigns addressing
deforestation. #SaveOurForests focuses on raising awareness about the importance of forests
and the need for their preservation.
3. Rainforest Foundation – Protect an Acre: This campaign encourages individuals to
contribute to protecting rainforest acres. Donors can “adopt” an acre to support conservation
efforts.
4. National Geographic – Before the Flood: While more focused on climate change, this
documentary, supported by National Geographic, features deforestation as one of the critical
environmental issues contributing to climate change.
5. Greenpeace – The Amazon’s Silent Crisis: Greenpeace has various campaigns related to
deforestation. This one specifically addresses the deforestation crisis in the Amazon rainforest.
6. Conservation International – Nature Is Speaking: A series of short films featuring
celebrities giving nature a voice. While not solely focused on deforestation, some segments
highlight the consequences of losing forests.
Keith Weed’s Perspective on Campaigns Like ‘Farewell to the
Forest’: A Sustainability Vision
In 2016, Keith Weed shared that the company’s top brands now focus on doing good things for
the world. He explained this at a big creativity festival. Unilever’s best brands come from a group

5. that aims to be kind to the environment and make a positive impact on society. This group grew
faster in 2015 than before, doing better than the rest of its brands by 30% and helping the
company grow a lot.
Weed talked about “campaigning brands” – brands that have a purpose and mean something
important. Unilever thinks it’s not just a good thing to care about society; it’s also a smart way to
do business. Brands like Ben & Jerry’s, known for caring about things like gay marriage and the
environment, show this idea. Its commitment to being environmentally friendly is also shown in
campaigns like “Farewell To The Forest,” which talks about making products in a way that
doesn’t hurt forests.
Its idea of doing things responsibly goes beyond specific causes. They checked how women are
shown in ads and found that many ads don’t fairly show women. In response, the brand is
changing how it shows women in ads, aiming to make ads that are more modern and show
women as real and interesting people. Unilever thinks this isn’t just a good thing to do; it also
makes good business sense.
Conclusion:
In short, Unilever’s “Farewell to the Forest” campaign is like a story that talks about the
importance of taking care of our forests. They use a character called the ‘Treefugee’ to show how
trees might be safer in the city than in the forest. The brand wants to tell everyone that cutting
down too many trees is a big problem and we all need to pay attention and do something about it.
The campaign is part of Unilever’s plan to be more careful about where they get their materials,
so they don’t harm the environment. They hope to make people care about saving forests and
understand how our actions affect the world around us.