Ahead of World Environment Day on June 5, Dove, a Unilever brand, has unveiled the Dove Forest Restoration Project, a large-scale effort designed to protect and restore forests, protect the habitats of endangered species, and improve the livelihoods of 16,000 people who call North Sumatra, Indonesia home. 
 
Restoring Forest in Indonesia
 
In partnership with Conservation International, and in support of their collaboration with The Ministry of Environment and Forestry (MoEF), Dove will protect and restore 20,000 hectares of forest (an area approximately double the size of Paris) in North Sumatra, Indonesia – home to some of the richest biodiversity in the world – over five years.  
 
The Dove Forest Restoration Project is estimated to capture over 300,000 tons of CO2 from the air and avoid the release of over 200,000 tons of CO2e emissions. These projected impacts will be monitored and evaluated in accordance with Indonesia’s articulated carbon policies. 
 
This initiative also builds upon ongoing plans Dove is accelerating to achieve a deforestation-free supply chain by 2023 and net zero emissions from its products by 2039.
 
“As a global brand with care at our core, we have a responsibility to use our platforms to drive change and positively impact the world around us. The Dove Forest Restoration Project builds on our commitments to caring for our planet and caring about how we make our products and what goes into them. With this long-term initiative, we extend this care to improving the health of the planet, striving for a more sustainable way of being,” said Alessandro Manfredi, global executive vice president of Dove  
 
The Dove Forest Restoration project is the first major initiative from the €1 billion Unilever Climate & Nature Fund and aligns with the United Nations Decade on Ecosystem Restoration.
 
“Climate change is one of the biggest threats facing our world. That’s why it’s so important for Dove – one of the largest beauty brands in the world – to take meaningful and decisive action,” commented Sunny Jain, president, Beauty & Personal Care at Unilever.
 
Jain continued, “Last year, we announced a €1 billion Unilever Climate and Nature Fund, and I’m thrilled the Dove Forest Restoration Project will be its first major initiative. This is also the first step in Unilever’s Positive Beauty commitment to help protect and regenerate 1.5 million hectares of land, forests and oceans by 2030, which is more land than is required to grow the renewable ingredients in our beauty and personal care products.”
 
Restoring Biodiversity and Strengthening Communities
 
In addition to capturing and avoiding vast amounts of climate-warming carbon, the Dove Forest Restoration Project will contribute to biodiversity conservation in the region and also contribute toward Indonesia's larger targets for restoring forest and strengthening communities' sustainable management of forest resources. 
 
The Dove Forest Restoration Project will help: 
 

• Support local communities with the aim of improving the livelihoods of 16,000 people in the North Sumatra region. This work complements parent company Unilever's engagement in the Coalition of Sustainable Livelihoods partnership, which also aims to accelerate sustainable economic development in North Sumatra.  
• Deliver biodiversity benefits such as the protection and restoration of habitats for many endangered species including the Sumatran Tiger, Sunda Pangolin, Sumatran Clouded Leopard, Malayan Tapir, Black Sumatran Langur and Sambar Deer. Reestablished forest cover will also reduce the impact of natural disasters such as flooding and landslides. 

 
According to the company, Dove believes “protecting and restoring the beauty of the planet requires more than straightforward commitments – it requires a complete transformation of the beauty industry. Real change requires continued partnership, persistent advocacy efforts, and commitment to do the work on the ground.”