Paper: Transnational Entangled Sustainability, through the lens of Margarine and Soap production at Unilever and its predecessors
Frank Veraart, Eindhoven University of Technology
16 June 2023
Abstract:
The development of transnational resource supply chains have had severe impact in economic, social and ecological developments, in various places around the globe. This paper analyses the effects of (western) commodification of natural resources and oil hardening in the context of margarine and soap industries of Unilever and its predecessors. It highlights how these developments entangled multiple spatially different sites and highlight the sustainability (economic, social and ecological) effects. These insights not only create an entangled history of dispersed places, it also highlight the deep and long lasting impact of multinational firm in terms of sustainable development. The impacts have been reviewed through time and give context to contemporary EU regulations on corporate sustainability and due-diligence.
Link to conference: https://businesshist23.sciencesconf.org/
Link to program: https://businesshist23.sciencesconf.org/data/Programme_CIHE_20230616V2.pdf