Developed as part of the Unilever Sustainable Living Plan, the initiative seeks to improve the livelihoods of the consumers that utilise Unilever's products. "This distinctive exchange initiative demonstrates the power of collaboration in ensuring a brighter future for all South African inhabitants," said Nakagawa Marcos, vice-president Brand Building: Foods at Unilever.
The Wildlands model involves the trade of indigenous trees for hampers that are made up of a prescribed list of Unilever's health and well-being products, together with a few products purchased through its partnership with MassCash, providing tinned fish and baked beans.
"Unilever aims to create sustainable communities and through our partnership with Wildlands, communities are empowered and given a purpose," Marcos said.
The hampers are bartered in exchange for indigenous trees (amounting to over 450,000 trees) from approximately 2,000 tree-preneurs across Wildlands' network of 80 communities nationally.
Unilever's contribution to the initiative leverages funding received from national and provincial government to enable the barter of this large number of hampers. "Wildlands will pack and distribute approximately 10,000 hampers across their communities during 2015," said Marcos.
The premise of the system is to change the perception of getting a 'hand-out', showing these communities how they can better their lives through entrepreneurial ventures. "We promote entrepreneurship with our barter - reward model, based on national greening activities," said Dr Andrew Venter, CEO of Wildlands. "When partners like Unilever come forward with items that can add value to the lives of our hard working tree-preneurs, we are extremely appreciative and grateful."
Unilever and Wildlands aim to roll-out approximately 20 Bright Future Activation Days throughout 2015, where the Wildlands Activation Unit will carry out health and well-being product demonstrations, covering subjects such as handwashing, tooth-brushing, sanitation and nutrition.
