KEYNOTE:
Innovating for Sustainability - Designing for consumer trust
Time & Location
Wednesday: 12.30 to 13.00, Stage 2
Keynote Presentation
Chris FinneganSafety and sustainability science leader - Unilever SEAC
About this presentation
This session will be providing an overview of Unilever’s sustainable technologies and innovations strategy with a focus on our Home Care Business Group and its Clean Futures ambition. Fundamental to delivering the Clean Futures ambition is designing products for consumer trust that are underpinned by robust safety and environmental science. The session will be highlighting how this requires the modernisation of regulatory approaches based on advanced science & technology and the importance of collaborative partnerships for us to address these technical challenges and for advocating for science-based approaches.
Speaker Bio
I have spent my entire career working across various roles in Unilever, as a new starter in 1989 in the Port Sunlight R+D site as a researcher with the Home Care business, before moving to the Safety and Environmental Assurance Centre (SEAC) in 1995 where I trained as an Ecotoxicologist and Environmental risk assessor. In 2001, I moved to the Unilever Colworth R+D site with SEAC, completing my higher degree with Cranfield University focusing on understanding the fate and biodegradability of Unilever ingredients alongside working with external groups e.g CEFIC, ECETOC and AISE on related scientific challenges in these areas.
I am now a Safety and Sustainability leader in SEAC co-ordinating safety and sustainability support across all our business groups in Unilever. Working end to end across the organisation with our supply partners, Procurement, R+D, Regs, Legal, Marketing and Brand teams to support the ambitious transformational challenges on our people and planet commitments and ensuring scientific evidence is at the heart of the responsible decision making on the safety and sustainability of our products and processes.