Unilever reaffirms quality pledge on World Quality Day

Unilever Bangladesh Limited marked the World Quality Day on Tuesday by showcasing its robust quality assurance framework, underscoring its commitment to delivering safe, reliable and world-class products to consumers in the country.

At a special workshop held at the company's Dhaka headquarters, its officials highlighted how Unilever's stringent quality oversight -- from sourcing raw materials to final delivery on retail shelves -- has defined its six-decade presence in Bangladesh, earning the trust of millions of consumers and setting a benchmark for the country's fast-moving consumer goods sector.

Senior executives, including Shamima Akhter, Director - Corporate Affairs, Partnerships & Communications; Nabil Siddiquee, Head of Research and Development; and Tasmim Saila, Head of Quality for the PTAB Region; and . M. Faysal, Public Relations and Projects Manager, addressed the event.

The event featured practical demonstrations of quality control processes and a live session on customer care hotline services.

Having started its journey from a semi-automated soap factory in Kalurghat, Chattogram, in 1962, Unilever Bangladesh has grown into a network of seven factories producing 20 brands, delivering products to millions of households, officials said, highlighting that nine out of ten households in Bangladesh use Unilever products daily.

With 96 per cent of its products manufactured locally, the company supports the nation's economic growth as it has been named the country's "Number 1 Employer of Choice" 12 times since 2011 and has been recognised as a top taxpayer eight times since 2013.

Tasmim Saila said Unilever's quality framework is built on three pillars --Quality Control, Quality Assurance, and Continuous Improvement -- and is integrated into every level of the organisation.

Quality, she said, is not the responsibility of one department but a company-wide culture embedded across sourcing, manufacturing, storage, transport, and retail.

A key part of this system is Unilever's long-term partnerships with suppliers, backed by regular audits, non-conformance management tools, joint problem-solving with packaging partners, and support for suppliers in building their own Quality Management Systems, said Saila.

"Quality is not inspected at the end, it begins at the source," she said.

She explained said that every product is manufactured under strict Product Quality Standards (PQS) and Consumer Relevant Quality Standards (CRQS), while each production line performs 60 on-pack and eight in-pack checks every hour, supported by real-time digital monitoring that detects and corrects issues such as sealing faults, weight deviations, or packaging weaknesses.

The Delivered Superiority Index (DSI) tracks each product from factory to shelf to consumer, ensuring it retains its expected performance at every stage.

Nabil Siddiquee said around 60-65 per cent of the raw materials and ingredients for Unilever products are imported, while more than 95 per cent of packaging materials are sourced locally.

He added that whether the inputs come through direct purchase or contact farming, the company prioritises quality, environmental responsibility, and sustainability at every stage.

Highlighting the company's packaging policy, he said Unilever follows a "No Plastic, Less Plastic, Better Plastic" approach, eliminating plastic where possible, minimising its use in certain cases, and replacing it with biodegradable components wherever feasible.

Unilever Bangladesh has adopted a net-zero plastic policy, said Shamima Akhter, explaining that the majority of the plastic the company produces is being recycled.

She added that the company also collects plastic from households, markets, and other sources.

Highlighting a Unilever-funded project in Chattogram City Corporation (CCC) areas, implemented with the support of the CCC and a non-governmental organisation, she said the initiative aims to boost plastic recycling.

"Thanks to these efforts, the rate of plastic recycling in Bangladesh has reached around 40 per cent -- significantly higher than the global average of nine per cent," she added.

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