LONDON — Unilever selected Cargill as its first-ever ‘Visionary’ award winner during its fourth Partner to Win Supplier Summit in early September. Cargill has helped Unilever in recent years by assisting in Unilever’s reduction in environmental impact, improved sustainability and business growth.

“I congratulate Cargill for winning the ‘Visionary’ award,” said Dhaval Buch, chief procurement officer at Unilever. “It is our mission to maintain these fantastic relationships with our suppliers and create mutually beneficial business opportunities. Partner to Win plays a vital role in helping us achieve the Compass vision – our strategy for sustainable growth, which can only be delivered through partnerships.”

Cargill was the first company to sign up for Unilever’s Partner to Win program in 2011, and since then has helped Unilever with the four priorities of Partner to Win. Most notably, to improve sustainability Cargill and Unilever formed eight “joint crop teams,” which work to achieve a traceable, sustainable source of a variety of crops and supply chains around the world.

“A company like Unilever, aiming to grow its business by improving people’s health and well-being while also reducing its environmental impact, thrives on dependable partners who can see the big picture,” said Paul Naar, Cargill chief executive vice-president food ingredients and systems, who accepted the award on Cargill’s behalf. “We are truly honored to receive this award and we will keep working to develop our relationship and drive sustainable growth for both our companies.”