Unilever's "Sustainable Living Plan" has three major goals to achieve by 2020: to improve the health and enhance the livelihoods of people across Unilever's value chain, to reduce the company's environmental impact and to procure 100 percent of its agricultural raw materials from sustainable sources.

Though the targets are for 2020, Jope said, the effects of the program "are almost immediate. It not only has the direct impact of lowering our costs, but also helps us build innovative products".

As a key part of the plan, Unilever cooperated with Save the Children, China Development Research Foundation and the Meishan government to run its village early education center in Sichuan.