Corporate Social Responsibility & Corporate Governance Activities Undertaken By HUL.

Project Report for Autumn 2010 submitted to the Department of Management Studies, Rizvi college of Arts, Science & Comm. Bandra (W), Mumbai-400050

In Partial Fulfillment of the requirements for the Degree of Bachelor in Management Studies. Submitted by Arjuman Ansari. Eram Khan. Sayeeda Khan. Shazia Khan. Shabnam Saboowala. Sana Sheikh.

Project Head: Prof. Mr.Sameer Virani Rizvi College Of Arts, Science & Commerce.

Acknowledgement.

Apart from the efforts of us, the success of this project depends largely on the encouragement and guidelines of many others. I take this opportunity to express my gratitude to the people who have been instrumental in the successful completion of this project.

I would like to show my greatest appreciation to Prof. Sameer Virani. I cant say thank you enough for his tremendous support and help. I feel motivated and encouraged every time I attend his lecture. Without his encouragement and guidance this project would not have materialized.

The guidance and support received from the company Hindustan Unilever Limited who contributed and are contributing to this project, was vital for the success of the project. I am grateful for their constant support and help.

Certificate.

This is to certify that Eram Khan, Arjuman Ansari, Sayeeda Khan, Shazia Khan, Shabnam Saboowala & Sana Shaikh ,BMS final year students of Rizvi College Of Arts, Science & Commerce have completed their project under the guidance of Prof. Sameer Virani towards the partial fulfillment of the award of TYBMS during the academic year 2010 - 2011 The project work entitled CSR & Corporate Governance Activities of HUL

________________
Project Guide/HOD

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Principal / Headmaster

Declaration.

We hereby declare that the project work entitled Corporate Social Resposibility & Corporate Governance Activities of HUL submitted to the Rizvi College,is record of the original work done by us under the guidance of Prof. Mr.Sameer Virani, Faculty Member, Rizvi College Of Arts, Science & Comerce.

Name Of The Students Eram Khan Sayeeda Khan Shabnam Saboowala Sana Sheikh Arjuman Ansari Shazia khan.

Roll Nos. 23 28 46 53 62 79

Signatures ________ ________ ________ ________ ________ ________

Place : Mumbai. Date : 18/08/2010

Introduction.
Hindustan Unilever Limited (HUL) (BSE: HUL) is India's largest fast moving consumer goods company, touching the lives of two out of three Indians with over 20 distinct categories in home & personal care products and food & beverages. They endow the company with a scale of combined volumes of about 4 million tonnes and sales of over Rs. 13,000 crores. HUL is also one of the country's largest exporters; it has been recognised as a Golden Super Star Trading House by the Government of India. HUL was formed in 1933 as Lever Brothers India Limited and came into being in 1956 as Hindustan Lever Limited through a merger of Lever Brothers, Hindustan Vanaspati Mfg. Co. Ltd. and United Traders Ltd.. It is headquartered in Mumbai, India and has an employee strength of over 15,000 employees and contributes for indirect employment of over 52,000 people. The company was renamed in June 2007 to Hindustan Unilever Limited. In 2007, Hindustan Unilever was rated as the most respected company in India for the past 25 years by Businessworld, one of Indias leading business magazines. The rating was based on a compilation of the magazines annual survey of Indias Most Reputed Companies over the past 25 years. HUL is the market leader in Indian consumer products with presence in over 20 consumer categories such as soaps, tea, detergents and shampoos amongst others with over 700 million Indian consumers using its products. It has over 35 brands. Sixteen of HULs brands featured in the ACNielsen Brand Equity list of 100 Most Trusted Brands Annual Survey (2008). According to Brand Equity, HUL has the largest number of brands in the Most Trusted Brands List. Its a company that has consistently had the largest number of brands in the Top 50 and in the Top 10 (with 4 brands). Hindustan Unilever's distribution covers over 1 million retails outlets across India directly and its products are available in over 6.3 million outlets in India, i.e., nearly 80% of the retail outlets in India. It has 39 factories in the country. Two out of three Indians use the companys products and HUL products have the largest consumer reach being available in over 80 per cent of consumer homes across India. The Anglo-Dutch company Unilever owns a majority stake (52%) in Hindustan Unilever Limited. HUL was one of the eight Indian companies to be featured on the Forbes list of Worlds Most Reputed companies in 2007

Our History.
In the summer of 1888, visitors to the Kolkata harbour noticed crates full of Sunlight soap bars, embossed with the words "Made in England by Lever Brothers". With it, began an era of marketing branded Fast Moving Consumer Goods (FMCG).

Soon after followed Lifebuoy in 1895 and other famous brands like Pears, Lux and Vim. Vanaspati was launched in 1918 and the famous Dalda brand came to the market in 1937. In 1931, Unilever set up its first Indian subsidiary, Hindustan Vanaspati Manufacturing Company, followed by Lever Brothers India Limited (1933) and United Traders Limited (1935). These three companies merged to form HUL in November 1956; HUL offered 10% of its equity to the Indian public, being the first among the foreign subsidiaries to do so. Unilever now holds 52.10% equity in the company. The rest of the shareholding is distributed among about 360,675 individual shareholders and financial institutions. The erstwhile Brooke Bond's presence in India dates back to 1900. By 1903, the company had launched Red Label tea in the country. In 1912, Brooke Bond & Co. India Limited was formed. Brooke Bond joined the Unilever fold in 1984 through an international acquisition. The erstwhile Lipton's links with India were forged in

1898. Unilever acquired Lipton in 1972, and in 1977 Lipton Tea (India) Limited was incorporated. Pond's (India) Limited had been present in India since 1947. It joined the Unilever fold through an international acquisition of Chesebrough Pond's USA in 1986. Since the very early years, HUL has vigorously responded to the stimulus of economic growth. The growth process has been accompanied by judicious diversification, always in line with Indian opinions and aspirations. The liberalisation of the Indian economy, started in 1991, clearly marked an inflexion in HUL's and the Group's growth curve. Removal of the regulatory framework allowed the company to explore every single product and opportunity segment, without any constraints on production capacity.

Simultaneously, deregulation permitted alliances, acquisitions and mergers. In one of the most visible and talked about events of India's corporate history, the erstwhile Tata Oil Mills Company (TOMCO) merged with HUL, effective from April 1, 1993. In 1996, HUL and yet another Tata company, Lakme Limited, formed a 50:50 joint venture, Lakme Unilever Limited, to market Lakme's market-leading cosmetics and other appropriate products of both the companies. Subsequently in 1998, Lakme Limited sold its brands to HUL and divested its 50% stake in the joint venture to the company.

HUL formed a 50:50 joint venture with the US-based Kimberly Clark Corporation in 1994, Kimberly-Clark Lever Ltd, which markets Huggies Diapers and Kotex Sanitary Pads. HUL has also set up a subsidiary in Nepal, Unilever Nepal Limited (UNL), and its factory represents the largest manufacturing investment in the Himalayan kingdom. The UNL factory manufactures HUL's products like Soaps, Detergents and Personal Products both for the domestic market and exports to India. The 1990s also witnessed a string of crucial mergers, acquisitions and alliances on the Foods and Beverages front. In 1992, the erstwhile Brooke Bond acquired Kothari General Foods, with significant interests in Instant Coffee. In 1993, it acquired the Kissan business from the UB Group and the Dollops Icecream business from Cadbury India.

As a measure of backward integration, Tea Estates and Doom Dooma, two plantation companies of Unilever, were merged with Brooke Bond. Then in 1994, Brooke Bond India and Lipton India merged to form Brooke Bond Lipton India Limited (BBLIL), enabling greater focus and ensuring synergy in the traditional Beverages business. 1994 witnessed BBLIL launching the Wall's range of Frozen Desserts. By the end of the year, the company entered into a strategic alliance with the Kwality Icecream Group families and in 1995 the Milkfood 100% Icecream marketing and distribution rights too were acquired.

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Finally, BBLIL merged with HUL, with effect from January 1, 1996. The internal restructuring culminated in the merger of Pond's (India) Limited (PIL) with HUL in 1998. The two companies had significant overlaps in Personal Products, Speciality Chemicals and Exports businesses, besides a common distribution system since 1993 for Personal Products. The two also had a common management pool and a technology base. The amalgamation was done to ensure for the Group, benefits from scale economies both in domestic and export markets and enable it to fund investments required for aggressively building new categories. In January 2000, in a historic step, the government decided to award 74 per cent equity in Modern Foods to HUL, thereby beginning the divestment of government equity in public sector undertakings (PSU) to private sector partners. HUL's entry into Bread is a strategic extension of the company's wheat business. In 2002, HUL acquired the government's remaining stake in Modern Foods.

In 2003, HUL acquired the Cooked Shrimp and Pasteurised Crabmeat business of the Amalgam Group of Companies, a leader in value added Marine Products exports. HUL launched a slew of new business initiatives in the early part of 2000s. Project Shakti was started in 2001. It is a rural initiative that targets small villages populated by less than 5000 individuals. It is a unique win-win initiative that catalyses rural affluence even as it benefits business.
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Currently, there are over 45,000 Shakti entrepreneurs covering over 100,000 villages across 15 states and reaching to over 3 million homes. In 2002, HUL made its foray into Ayurvedic health & beauty centre category with the Ayush product range and Ayush Therapy Centres. Hindustan Unilever Network, Direct to home business was launched in 2003 and this was followed by the launch of Pureit water purifier in 2004. In 2007, the Company name was formally changed to Hindustan Unilever Limited after receiving the approval of share holders during the 74th AGM on 18 May 2007. Brooke Bond and Surf Excel breached the the Rs 1,000 crore sales mark the same year followed by Wheel which crossed the Rs.2,000 crore sales milestone in 2008. On 17th October 2008 , HUL completed 75 years of corporate existence in India.

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Company Profile.
Hindustan Unilever Limited

Type Industry Founded Headquarters Key people Products Revenue Employees Parent Website

Public company BSE:HUL Fast Moving Consumer Goods FMCG) 1933 Mumbai, India Harish Manwani (Chairman), Nitin Paranjpe (CEO and Managing Director) Home & Personal Care, Foods, Water Purifier Rs 20,869.57 crore (US$ 4.45 billion) (2008-2009) [1] Over 65,000 direct & indirect employees Unilever Plc www.hul.co.in

Present Stature.

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Hindustan Unilever Limited (HUL) is India's largest fast moving consumer goods company, and estimates that two out of three Indians use its products. It has over 42 factories across India.

HUL is also one of the country's largest exporters; it has been recognised as a Golden Super Star Trading House by the Government of India.

The Hindustan Unilever Research Centre (HURC) was set up in 1958, and now has facilities in Mumbai and Bangalore. HURC and the Global Technology Centres in India have over 200 highly qualified scientists and technologists, many with post-doctoral experience acquired in the US and Europe. HUL also renders services to the community, focusing on health & hygiene education, empowerment of women, and water management. It is also involved in education and rehabilitation of underprivileged children, care for the destitute and HIV-positive, and rural development. HUL has also responded to national calamities, for instance with relief and rehabilitation after the 2004 tsunami caused devastation in South India.

In 2001, the company embarked on a programme called Shakti, through which it creates micro-enterprises for rural women. Shakti also includes health and hygiene education through the Shakti Vani Programme, which now covers 15 states in India with over 45,000 women entrepreneurs in 135,000 villages. By the end of 2010, Shakti aims to have 100,000 Shakti entrepreneurs covering 500,000 villages, touching the lives of over 600 million people. HUL is also running a rural health programme, Lifebuoy Swasthya Chetana. The programme endeavours to induce adoption of hygienic practices among rural Indians and aims to bring down the incidence of diarrhoea. So far it has reached 120 million people in over 50,000 villages.

Corporate Social Responsibility.

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A business that makes nothing but money is a poor kind of business.

The World Business Council for Sustainable Development in its publication "Making Good Business Sense" by Lord Holme and Richard Watts, used the following definition. "Corporate Social Responsibility is the continuing commitment by business to behave ethically and contribute to economic development while improving the quality of life of the workforce and their families as well as of the local community and society at large"

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The same report gave some evidence of the different perceptions of what this should mean from a number of different societies across the world. Definitions as different as "CSR is about capacity building for sustainable livelihoods. It respects cultural differences and finds the business opportunities in building the skills of employees, the community and the government" from Ghana, through to "CSR is about business giving back to society" from the Phillipines. Traditionally in the United States, CSR has been defined much more in terms of a philanphropic model. Companies make profits, unhindered except by fulfilling their duty to pay taxes. Then they donate a certain share of the profits to charitable causes. It is seen as tainting the act for the company to receive any benefit from the giving. The European model is much more focused on operating the core business in a socially responsible way, complemented by investment in communities for solid business case reasons. Personally, I believe this model is more sustainable because: 1. Social responsibility becomes an integral part of the wealth creation process - which if managed properly should enhance the competitiveness of business and maximise the value of wealth creation to society. 2. When times get hard, there is the incentive to practice CSR more and better - if it is a philanphropic exercise which is peripheral to the main business, it will always be the first thing to go when push comes to shove. But as with any process based on the collective activities of communities of human beings (as companies are) there is no "one size fits all". In different countries, there will be different priorities, and values that will shape how business act. And even the observations above are changing over time. The US has growing numbers of people looking towards core business issues. For instance, the CSR definition used by Business for Social Responsibility is: "Operating a business in a manner that meets or exceeds the ethical, legal, commercial and public expectations that society has of business. On the other hand, the European Commission hedges its bets with two definitions wrapped into one: "A concept whereby companies decide voluntarily to contribute to a better society and a cleaner environment. A concept whereby

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companies integrate social and environmental concerns in their business operations and in their interaction with their stakeholders on a voluntary basis".

CSR is about how companies manage the business processes to produce an overall positive impact on society.
Take the following illustration:

Companies need to answer to two aspects of their operations. 1. The quality of their management - both in terms of people and processes (the inner circle). 2. The nature of, and quantity of their impact on society in the various areas.

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When you review each of these, they broadly agree that the definition now focuses on the impact of how you manage your core business. Some go further than others in prescribing how far companies go beyond managing their own impact into the terrain of acting specifically outside of that focus to make a contribution to the achievement of broader societal goals. It is a key difference, when many business leaders feel that their companies are ill equipped to pursue broaders societal goals, and activists argue that companies have no democratic legitimacy to take such roles. That particular debate will continue.

WHY CSR IS IMPORANT.

Several factors contribute to the importance of CSR. Most importantly, CSR should not just be another department in a large corporation or a policy it chooses to pursue some of the time. Companies cannot only employ CSR strategies when they have the economic means to do so or when business is good and disband CSR policies when business is slow, but rather; CSR must be engrained as a central value of a company no matter what the economic times are like. The most important reason CSR is taking prominence in the corporate world is because evidence suggests that companies that pursue CSR strategies are more profitable than those who do not. Moreover, CSR has gained prominence because the Internet and mass media, empowered by globalization, make it difficult for companies to bury or hide detrimental social practices. Preserving and maintaining a healthy company image is one reason for the prevalence of CSR. Lastly, the awareness of a duty to the communities in which companies operate is emerging. Corporations understand their roles as global citizens and CSR allows them to positively facilitate relationships with the communities in which they operate. Current World Wild Life CEO Carter Roberts epitomizes this point, Companies still thinking about the environment and the community as social responsibilities rather than business imperatives are living in the dark ages.S

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CSR ACTIVITIES.
Sales (2007-2008) = Rs.14000 crores Net profit after tax = Rs.2000 crores (rounded off) (rounded off)

Community

initiatives.

HUL believes that an organisations worth beyond its business, is captured by the service it renders to the community. We focus on nutrition, health and hygiene education, empowering livelihoods and eco-efficiency. We are committed to responsible leadership by positively impacting India on her most challenging issues.

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Our Goal.
We seek to positively impact India on issues relevant to stakeholders and communities.

Our Approach.
As a part of our voluntary initiatives, we will respond to natural disaster and support relief and welfare measures for vulnerable sections etc. We will also actively work towards water conservation to benefit communities around our manufacturing sites.

Social Providing healthcare Sanjivani Facility Mobile Medical

HUL started Sanjivani a Mobile Medical Service in the year 2003 to bring effective medical care to villages surrounding our Doom Dooma factory in Assam. The objective has been to meet basic medical needs of people living in the remote villages in Assam through a charge-free mobile medical facility. Apart from basic medical services, it also spreads awareness on issues such as hygiene, child immunization, family planning etc.

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The project covers a radius of 40 kilometers around the factory with two mobile vans equipped with basic medical equipment and specialised team of one male and one female doctor, two nurses, a medical attendant and drivers. On an average, 400 Sanjivini medical camps are conducted every year in remote villages surrounding our factory. The project is run in close co-ordination with the local administration and the progress is reviewed every quarter. The Sanjivani project has provided medical assistance to more than 1,43,364 patients since its inception and in 2007 alone in 344 camps more than 22,395 patients were treated. In 2008 through 437 camps, 31,790 patients have been treated.

Disaster relief rehabilitation Floods, Bihar, 2008

and

HUL contributed 10,000 kits worth Rs.60 lakhs as the first installment of material for immediate relief of the flood affected families of Araria District in Bihar. The kit contained essential items such as utensils, clothes, blankets and other useful material. In all, 12 truckloads of material were distributed to the affected families under the guidance of the Araria District Magistrate. A sum of 84 lakhs was contributed by HUL employees and the company to rehabilitate the underprivileged amongst the flood-affected families in the village of Jorgama, Madhepura District, Bihar.
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The Project aims at providing, through a strategic alliance between HUL, ACC & Habitat International, the following facilities to the People in a phased manner: - Construction of 100 disaster proof houses for the purpose of rehabilitation; - Construction and development of a Community Resource Centre for people - Design, development and implementation of livelihood programmes aiming at sustained and increased income for 300 families - Capacity and capability building of villagers for village development - Promoting the concept of Self-Help Groups to develop economically, ecologically and viable plans and to mobilize finances for farming and non-farming activities - Creating alternate livelihood opportunities in the areas of manufacturing of concrete products, sale of hollow brick blocks, fly ash bricks, pavement blocks etc. - Ensuring the involvement of people in non-farming activities and help create a feasible rapport with fair, remunerative and competitive markets - Assist in improving the living condition for at least 300 families - Development of a model village with provisions for safe drinking water & put in place a mechanism for water resource management, provisions of electricity supply, clinical & sanitation facilities, etc.

Tsunami, South India, 2006

HUL contributed over Rs. 100 million towards relief and rehabilitation of tsunami affected families by the way of providing relief material, land and construction of facilities. The Company distributed nutritional and personal hygiene products worth Rs. 50 million for immediate relief to the needy at the time that tsunami had hit the region. Later, pursuant to a request from the Government of Tamil Nadu on a more pressing need to provide housing to the affected families, HUL donated 5.27 acres of land (market value on a conservative basis is Rs. 45 million) at Tondiarpet, Chennai, to the Government of Tamil Nadu for rehabilitation. The complex has 960 permanent houses spread over 5.27 acres of land donated by HUL. Employees of HUL made a contribution of Rs. 5 million towards the

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construction of the facilities in the complex. On the day of the disaster, employees from our factories and offices in Pondicherry, Tamil Nadu and Kerala had provided necessary relief to the Tsunami-hit people. The relief operations included distribution of bread and biscuits to over 500 families in Pondicherry, 12,000 cooked meals for families in Chennai, Nagapattinam, Cuddalore and Andamans. Over 12,000 dry relief packs, comprising of Company's dry rations and personal hygiene products were distributed

Gujarat

Earthquake,

2001

After the devastating earthquake in Gujarat in 2001, HUL reconstructed a village in the Bhachau Taluka of Gujarat's Kutch district in December 2002. Named as Yashodadham, this village was dedicated to 1,100 residents of Nani Chirai village, which was completely wrecked by the earthquake. Yashodadham was constructed with the active involvement of villagers and is spread over 25 acres, comprising 289 homes. HUL has also supported the construction of a school building, playground, multipurpose community centre, crche, health centre, underground reservoir, overhead tank, community room and a village administration office. All the structures are earthquake and cycloneresistant.

Greening Barriers:
Water Conservation and Harvesting (linked to product Pureit) HUL's Water Conservation and Harvesting project has two major objectives: a. to reduce water consumption in its own operations and regenerate sub-soil water tables at its own sites through the principles of 5R - Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, Recover and Renew; b. help adjacent villages to implement appropriate models of watershed development.

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SHAKTI - Changing Lives in Rural India

Shakti is HUL's rural initiative, which targets small villages with population of less than 2000 people or less. It seeks to empower underprivileged rural women by providing income-generating opportunities, health and hygiene education through the Shakti Vani programme, and creating access to relevant information through the iShakti community portal.

In general, rural women in India are underprivileged and need a sustainable source of income. NGOs, governmental bodies and other institutions have been working to improve the status of rural women. Shakti is a pioneering effort in creating livelihoods for rural women, organised in Self-Help Groups (SHGs), and improving living standards in rural India. Shakti provides critically needed

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additional income to these women and their families, by equipping and training them to become an extended arm of the company's operation.

Health & Hygiene Education

Lifebuoy Swastya Chetna (LBSC) is a rural health and hygiene initiative which was started in 2002. LBSC was initiated in media dark villages (in UP, MP, Bihar, West Bengal, Maharashtra, Orissa) with the objective of spreading awareness about the importance of washing hands with soap.

The need for a program of this nature arose from the fact that diarrhoeal diseases are a major cause of death in the world today. It is estimated that diarrhoea claims the life of a child every 10 seconds and one third of these deaths are in India. According to a study done by the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, the simple practice of washing hands with soap and water can reduce diarrhoea by as much as 47%. However, ignorance of such basic hygiene practices leads to high mortality rates in rural India .

Economic Empowerment of Women EMPOWERMENT OF WOMEN THROUGH EDUCATION Fair & Lovely Foundation
Scholarships of up to Rs. 1 lakh awarded to women with aptitude, drive & the ambition to carve a place of pride for themselves in society, but do not have the financial strength to realise their dreams. Awarded, earlier, for postgraduate studies these scholarships have now been extended to graduate studies as well.
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Since 2003, over 600 scholarships have been awarded to women from across India. The Fair & Lovely Foundation is HUL's initiative which aims at economic empowerment of women across India. It aims to achieve this through providing information, resources, inputs and support in the areas of education, career and enterprise. It specifically targets women from low-income groups in rural as well as urban India. Fair & Lovely, as a brand, stands on the economic empowerment platform and the Foundation is an extension of this promise. The Foundation has renowned Indian women, from various walks of life, as its advisors. Among them are educationists, NGO activists, physicians. The Foundation is implementing its activities in association with state governments.

Special Education Rehabilitation

Asha Daan:

&

Under the Happy Homes initiative, HUL supports special education and rehabilitation of children with challenges.

The initiative began in 1976, when HUL supported Mother Teresa and the Missionaries of Charity to set up Asha Daan, a home in Mumbai for abandoned, challenged children, and the destitute. The vulnerable

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In 1976, HUL provided a 72,500-square feet plot to set up Asha Daan in the heart of Mumbai city. This home is supported by Mother Teresa & the Missonaries of Charity and cares for abandoned and challenged children, victims of HIV and the destitute. HUL bears the capital and revenue expenses for maintenance, upkeep and security of the premises. At any point of time, about 370 people comprising boys, girls, men and women live at the Home and their needs for food, clothing and medicines are catered to. The needs of the abandoned / challenged children are met through special classes of basic skills, physiotherapy, etc. being taken care of by the Sisters of the Home. Wherever necessary, corrective surgery is also arranged for in the city hospitals. Mother Teresa's desire to open a ward for female HIV positive patients was made possible by HUL in 1995. Since its inception, the AIDS Ward has taken care of 375 patients. Till date, over 15,750 individuals have benefited from Ashadaan

Ankur:
In 1993, HUL's Doom Dooma Plantation Division set up Ankur, a centre for special education of challenged children. The centre takes care of children with challenges, aged between 5 and 15 years. Ankur provides educational, vocational and recreational activities to over 35 children with a range of challenges, including sight or hearing impairment, polio related disabilities, cerebral palsy and severe learning difficulties. Ankur focuses on educational, vocational and recreational activities. The children are taught skills, such as cookery, painting, embroidery, bamboo crafts, weaving, candle making, stitching, etc. depending on their aptitudes.

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The centre has rehabilitated 10 children, including facilitating self-employment for 6 children by providing them with shops, and 3 girls have been provided employment as crche attendants. It has also helped 18 children in moving them to normal schools. Since inception it has touched over 80 children. Ankur received the Lawrie Group's Worldaware Award for Social Progress in 1999 from Her Royal Highness in London.

Kappagam:
Encouraged by Ankur's success, Kappagam ("shelter"), the second centre for special education of challenged children, was set up in 1998 on HUL Plantations in South India. It has 17 children. The focus of Kappagam is the same as that of Ankur.

Anbagam:
Yet another day care center, Anbagam ("shelter of love"), has been started in 2003 also in the South India Plantations. It takes care of 11 children. Besides medical care and meals, they too are being taught skills such that they can become self-reliant and elementary studies.

Economic Empowering livelihoods

HUL DHAN Foundation
As a part of our 75th year initiatives, we partnered with DHAN foundation a professionally managed development organization engaged in enhancing the incomes of 75,000 women from economically poor households in South India. The objectives of the DHAN programme are to: - ensure a minimum increase of aggregate Rs. 150 million for the selected 75,000
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poor women - support the federations of self help groups for initiating suitable projects for enhancing the incomes of the selected poor women based on their needs

Vindhya

Valley

Project

This project aimed at sharing business and marketing skills with people from the villages. We partnered with rural below the poverty line Self Help Groups (SHG) to build a brand and set up a distribution system to succeed in a highly competitive urban FMCG market. This project, in partnership with the Government of Madhya Pradesh, seeks to generate sustainable livelihoods in rural areas while cutting out middlemen and providing maximum value to the manufacturers. This project leverages the core strength of the company in the areas of brand building and activation to serve the communities in Vindhya Valley, MP and Rudi, Gujarat. This not only protects the SHGs from the exploitation of middlemen, but also empowers them in becoming effective marketeers and successful entrepreneurs. HUL provided the technical know-how, business insights and marketing skills to manufacturers to help put in place an end-to-end system that takes care of all aspects of the business operation. HUL also provided guidance for the execution of all business plans and review mechanisms. Keys areas where HUL assisted is: - upgrading rural SHG manufacturing units and training them developing packing design production processes setting up the logistics sales and distribution systems and - advertising and promotion Vindhya Valley's portfolio of spices, honey, lentil wafers, pickles, incense sticks and others are manufactured in 12 locations with over 500 direct beneficiaries. HUL was awarded the TERI CSR award in 2006 by the President of India in recognition of its conceptualisation and efforts in the Vindhya Valley Project

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Environmental A responsible citizen

corporate

The Pollution Control Committee of D&NH contacted our Silvassa Unit to tackle a critical problem. Drums full of toxic chemicals were dumped into the Daman Ganga river by some chemical manufacturer. It was of paramount importance to control the spread of these toxic chemicals before it assumed severe proportions. The task was entrusted to a team headed by our Safety Officer from our Silvassa Unit. They provided safety equipments and neutralising agents which helped to defuse the situation in four hours. Their quick and timely support was appreciated by the local administration.

Water

conservation

Water scarcity is one of the biggest crisis facing India. Water management has been a focus area for HUL, and has been made one of the key performance indicators of all HUL factories. HUL is also committed to extending its efforts on water management to the larger community, and has engaged in community projects in water adjacent to our manufacturing sites. HUL's Khamgaon factory is located in a dry and arid region of Maharashtra. Around 12 years ago the factory started a pilot project on 'Watershed Management' on a five hectare plot to prevent soil degradation and conserve water. The efforts have resulted in the creation of a green belt, which is now a veritable forest of about 6,300 trees Encouraged by the results, HUL extended the model to a neighbouring village, Parkhed, in association with TERI and Bharatiya Agro Industries Foundation. The community at Parkhed has already constructed 47 percolation bunds, 1,600 trenches, 6,000 running metres of continuous contour trenching over 100 hectares and 5 permanent check dams. Around 350 families have reaped a second crop this year which is only possible due to construction of check dams. Total land under cultivation during second crop season is 470 acres. The annual income of the farmers in the vicinity of 5 check dams increased from around an average of Rs. 36,000/- to approx. Rs. 85,000/- per annum per farmer. This has been attributed to the availability of water in the wells during the Rabbi

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season and also increase in the level of water in the wells during the Kharif season. Hence, along with reaping a rabbi crop, the farmers have also been able to almost double the yield of the Kharif crop. The initiative received appreciation at the Johannesburg World Summit on Sustainable Development.

Silvassa
Karchond near Silvassa spans 1491 hectares and has a population of 3253 consisting of 478 families. The chief occupation of the area is farming for 4 months when water is available. After this the population migrates to Daman Silvassa for labor/contract jobs. Thus, water conservation was a great necessity. In association with Vanarai, an NGO, HUL's Silvassa unit embarked on a long-term project of water harvesting, which aimed to dramatically change water availability, taking it up to year-round availability from 4 months.

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Corporate governance

Not to be confused with a corporate state, a corporative government rather than the government of a corporation

Responsible corporate conduct is integral to the way we do our business. Our actions are governed by our values and principles, which are reinforced at all levels within the Company. We, at Hindustan Unilever, are committed to doing things the right way which means taking business decisions and acting in a way that is ethical and is in compliance with the applicable legal requirements. Our Code of Business Principles is an extension of our values and reflects our continued commitment to ethical business practices and regulatory compliance. We acknowledge our individual and collective responsibilities to manage our business activities with integrity. To succeed, we believe, requires the highest standards of corporate behavior towards everyone we work with, the communities we touch, and the environment on which we have an impact. This is our road to sustainable, profitable growth and creating long-term value for our shareholders, our people, and our business partners. During last 75 years of the Companys existence, the above principles have been the guiding force for whatever we do and shall continue to be so in the coming years. The Board of Directors of your Company are responsible for and committed to sound principles of Corporate Governance in the Company. The
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Board plays a critical role in overseeing how the management serves the short and long term interests of shareholders and other stakeholders. This belief is reflected in our governance practices, under which we strive to maintain an active, informed, and independent Board. We keep our governance practices under continuous review and benchmark ourselves to the best governed companies across the globe.

The Board of Directors

The Board of Directors (the Board) is entrusted with the ultimate responsibility of the management, general affairs, direction and performance of the Company and has been vested with the requisite powers, authorities and duties. The Management Committee of the Company is headed by the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer and has business/ functional heads as its members, which looks after management of the day-to-day affairs of the Company.

Appointment and Tenure

The Directors of the Company are appointed by shareholders at General Meetings. All Directors, except for the Managing Director, step down at the Annual General Meeting each year and, if eligible, offer themselves for re-election, in accordance with the Articles of Association of the Company.

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The Executive Directors on the Board serve in accordance with the terms of their contracts of service with the Company. As per the Company policy, the Independent Directors do not seek re-appointment on attaining the age of 70 years. The Company also follows the policy of having a ceiling of nine years on the term of office of Independent Directors after revised Clause 49 of Listing Agreement has come into effect in October 2004.

Composition
The Board consists of 10 Directors comprising four Executive Directors, one Non-Executive Director and five Independent Directors. The Chairman of the Board is a Non-Executive Director. The Board represents an optimal mix of professionalism, knowledge and experience. The detailed profiles of the members of the Board of Directors are provided on page nos. 18 to 23 of the Annual Report.

Corporate governance is the set of processes, customs, policies, laws, and

institutions affecting the way a corporation (or company) is directed, administered or controlled. Corporate governance also includes the relationships among the many stakeholders involved and the goals for which the corporation is governed. The principal stakeholders are the shareholders, the board of directors, employees, customers, creditors, suppliers, and the community at large. Corporate governance is a multi-faceted subject. An important theme of corporate governance is to ensure the accountability of certain individuals in an organization through mechanisms that try to reduce or eliminate the principalagent problem. A related but separate thread of discussions focuses on the impact of a corporate governance system in economic efficiency, with a strong emphasis on shareholders' welfare. There are yet other aspects to the corporate governance subject, such as the stakeholder view and the corporate governance models around the world There has been renewed interest in the corporate governance practices of modern corporations since 2001, particularly due to the high-profile collapses of a number of large U.S. firms such as Enron Corporation and MCI Inc. (formerly WorldCom). In 2002, the U.S. federal government passed the SarbanesOxley Act, intending to restore public confidence in corporate governance.

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It is believed that nothing can be greater than a business, however small it may be, that is governed by conscience; and that nothing can be meaner or more petty than a business, however large, governed without honesty and without brotherhood. -William Hesketh Lever
Transparency and accountability are the two basic tenets of Corporate Governance. Hindustan Unilever feels proud to belong to a Company whose visionary founders had laid the foundation stone for good governance long back and made it an integral principle of the business, demonstrated in the words above.

HULs approach to Corporate Governance

To succeed, they believe, requires the highest standards of corporate behaviour towards everyone they work with, the communities they touch, and the environment on which they have an impact. This is their road to sustainable, profitable growth and creating long-term value for their shareholders, their people, and their business partners.

Corporate Information
Hindustan Unilever Limited, 165/166, Backbay Reclamation Mumbai 400 020 Tel : +91 22 39830000 Fax no. : +91 22 - 22026712 Hindustan Unilever Limited, Unilever House, B. D. Sawant Marg, Chakala, Andheri (E), Mumbai - 400 099.

Registered Office

Corporate Office & Research Centre

Executive Director (Legal) and Company Dev Bajpai, Secretary Email : hllshare.cmpt@unilever.com

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Tel nos. : +91-22-398 32557 / 32358 / 32532 / 32312

Statutory Auditors

Lovelock & Lewes, Chartered Accountants 252, Veer Savarkar Marg Dadar, Mumbai- 400 028 Crawford Bayley & Co. State Bank Building N.G.N. Vaidya Marg Mumbai 400 023 Karvy Computershare Private Limited Unit : HINDUSTAN UNILEVER LIMITED Plot No. 17 to 24, Vittalrao Nagar, Madhapur, Hyderabad 500 081. Phone : +91- 40 23420818-823 Fax : +91- 40 23420814 Email : igkcpl@karvy.com Website : www.karvy.com Unilever India Exports Limited Unilever Nepal Limited Ponds Exports Limited Lakme Lever Private Limited Daverashola Estates Private Limited Jamnagar Properties Private Limited Brooke Bond Real Estates Private Limited
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Solicitors

Registrar and Share Transfer Agents

Subsidiary Companies

Hindustan Field Services Private Limited Levers Associated Trust Limited Levindra Trust Limited Hindlever Trust Limited

HUL Policies
Unilever is committed to providing the very best not only to our customers but also to the environment. Read up on some Unilever policies that aim to do just that.

Environment Policy
The aim of the Policy is to do all that is reasonably practicable to prevent or minimise, encompassing all available knowledge and information, the risk of an adverse environmental impact arising from processing of the product, its use or foreseeable misuse.

Quality Policy
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HULs Quality Policy describes the principles that everyone in Unilever follows, wherever they are in the world, to ensure that they are recognised and trusted for otheir integrity, the quality of their brands and products, and the high standards they set.

Safety & Health Policy

Hindustan Unilever Limited (HUL) supplies high quality goods and services to meet the daily needs of consumers and customers.

Affirmative Action Policy

HUL is a signatory to the CII Code of Conduct on Affirmative Action and affirms its recognition.

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