As the leading hair care brand in the Philippines, Unilever is giving back to its loyal consumers and the environment through its Great Hair Blow-Out rewards campaign.

On Sept. 27, Unilever launched its Great Hair Blow-Out nationwide promo at Blue Leaf Pavillion, hosted by Sam Oh.

Several recycled products, like bags and tiles made from shredded sachets, in different colors and forms, welcomed the press at the venue, alluding to one of the goals of this newly launched program under Unilever’s Sustainability Living Plan.

The plan is the company’s corporate social responsibility program. It is a way for Unilever hair brands to repay devoted users for their unrelenting patronage and trust. “The Great Hair Blow-Out is a sure win in every promo pack,” said Dorothy Ching, marketing director for Hair Care. “There are three simple steps to participating. You just buy any specially marked sachets and bottles of Sunsilk, Clear, Clear Men, Vaseline and Dove. Second, you just open the pack, and instantly you win. It’s simply buy, open, and win.”

For this year’s promo, Unilever is giving away P100 million worth of prizes. This includes two Ford Fiestas, 56 international and domestic flights from Cebu Pacific, 25 Samsung tablets, 25 Samsung phones, Smart pre-paid load which can be redeemed from Cebuana Lhuillier outlets, discounts from National Book Store and David’s Salon, and free upsize at McDonald’s.

Environmental motives

Hitting two birds or, in this case, two causes with one stone is Unilever’s plan of action in contributing to solving the solid waste management problem in the Philippines. Aside from

redeeming prizes, collected sachets will be recycled into a useful product for building and helping their chosen communities. “There are two objectives for this promotion. First, we are doing this promotion to reward our loyal consumers, and thank them for their continued patronage. Second, it is our commitment to be part of the Unilever Sustainability Living Plan. We are committed to recovering 18 million sachets and then putting them to good use,” Ching added.

Who would have thought buying sachets can help communities? This also taps into social entrepreneurship because the proposed recycled materials, like bags and tiles, would provide income and profit to the community.

This project hopes to change Pinoys’ attitude toward waste segregation. “You know, what changes people’s habits is constant communication, and this is the role of businesses like ours. What we’re trying to do here is to ask marketing groups to help us communicate to our consumers that they can make a big difference through the simple act of giving their sachets to us,” said Chito Macapagal, VP for corporate affairs.

This paves the way for Unilever’s research on biodegradable packaging, to be used in the future. “As early as 2002 to 2003, we already had discussions on biodegradable packs, but right now we’re also looking at the issue of what is acceptable as a cost for consumers. Eventually, this will be passed on to the consumers. But we’re always on the lookout for possible biodegradable materials,” added Macapagal.

Unilever makes it easy for Filipino consumers to be active catalysts for a better environment. It is a win-win solution for the consumers, for the brands and for the environment. Promo ends Dec. 30.