Discover Sustainability

Review

The consumer goods sector and the sustainability agenda in Ghana:

a review of sustainability commitments
Mohammed Abubakari1 · Bessy Thuranira1

Received: 28 March 2021 / Accepted: 26 May 2021

© The Author(s) 2021  OPEN

Abstract
Corporate entities are expected to show a great commitment to the sustainability agenda in response to the Sustainable
Development Goal (SDG)-12—‘Ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns’ by 2030. This study, therefore,
analyses the sustainability commitments of two major consumer goods companies in Ghana; Unilever Ghana Limited,
and PZ Cussons Ghana Limited. It uses the traditional qualitative literature review approach to identify and evaluate the
varying commitments of the two entities through an analytic lens of the Sustainable Business Model (SBM) archetypes.
The findings indicate that of the eight archetypes, Unilever Ghana Limited is committed to four of the archetypes—1,
3, 6, and 8—whereas PZ Cussons Ghana Limited’s commitments align with five of the archetypes—1, 2, 5, 6, and 8. This
indicates a defining step in their sustainability commitments moving forward, however, the translation of the commit-
ments of the two companies into actualities calls for a concerted effort involving the State, civil society, the academic
community, and the entities themselves.

Keywords Consumer goods sector · Corporate entities · Sustainable business model archetypes · Sustainability · Ghana

1 Setting the agenda: sustainability and the expected role of corporate entities

Sustainability has become a topical issue on the global desk for the past few decades [1–3], and it has successfully perme-
ated into the contemporary business arena [4, 5]. This is as a result of the detrimental consequences of climate change
on the environment and socio-economic conditions [6], as well as the continuous threat it poses to global sustainability
moving into the future [7]. It is widely acknowledged that society plays an instrumental role in contributing to climate
change [8]. Hence, the United Nations (UN) has called on governments worldwide to ‘leave no one behind’ in terms of
commitments and practices towards a sustainable world—a world that provides for the need of its present population
and makes room for the future population to provide for themselves [9], through balanced reconciliation of the goals of
ecological integrity, economic progress, and social well-being [10]. Corporate entities are expected to play instrumental
roles in achieving the SDGs [11]. This has led to the persistent amplification and critical push for concepts and terms
including corporate governance [12], corporate citizenship [13], environmental accounting and sustainability reporting
[14], eco-entrepreneurship [15, 16], corporate social responsibility (CSR) [17], and sustainable business models (SBM) [18,
19] in modern business commitments and practices. The central proposition is that ‘business as usual’ will not help in the
sustainability agenda [18], rather corporate entities must shift from their traditional emphasis on profit to sustainability
commitments and practices in their operations.

* Mohammed Abubakari, abubakarim63@gmail.com | 1TU Dortmund University, Dortmund, Germany.

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In the Global North, corporate sustainability concerns have gained considerable attention in policy-science discourses
when compared with the Global South. Corporate bodies in the Global North are therefore more committed to the
incorporation of sustainability measures into their daily business operations [14, 20, 21]. Environmental accounting, for
instance, is legislated in EU countries, specifically in the Netherlands, and Denmark; as well as in the United States of
America (USA), and Japan compelling companies to factor in the environmental cost for the purpose of contributing to
sustainable development [14]. A study by Seuring and Müller [20] also showed sustainability commitments and integra-
tions in corporate organizations’ operations in Germany, and in general, corporate sustainability reporting, for example,
has received extensive studies in the scientific domain concerning the Global North [14, 21]. Considering the Global
South, a lot more progress of businesses towards sustainable development is required within the policy-science spectrum
which is gradually growing [22]. For instance, in South Africa, Dzomonda and Fatoki [23] have reported that the Johannes-
burg Stock Exchange (JSE) now regulates the reporting of listed firms’ environmental performance as part of regulatory
demands for sustainability reporting, and it is ascertained that firms committed to environmental investment are likely
to enhance their environmental performance. Also, Africa’s Development Agenda (2063) and the Global Sustainability
Agenda (2030) have provided frameworks that can help map the consequences of corporate organizations’ commitments
and practices against broader socio-environmental goals [24]. Notwithstanding, the degree to which these frameworks
have driven corporate sustainability measures remains unspecified in the Global South especially in the Sub-Saharan
Africa (SSA) region of Africa as compared to the Global North [25]. The Sustainable Stock Exchange (SSE) Initiative [26], a
UN Partnership Program organized by the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) to provide
a global platform that can enhance corporate performance on Environmental, Social and Corporate Governance (ESG),
has only 13 out of the 46 countries from the SSA as signatories, of which four countries—South Africa, Namibia, Nigeria,
and Zimbabwe—have a mandatory reporting as part of their listing requirements. Greenwashing, a term used to describe
the disparity between sustainability communications by corporate entities and their implementations [11], is still very
common, and environmental accounting seems to be a new-fangled intervention with its significant non-implementation
by many corporate bodies within the SSA region of Africa and the Global South, Ghana not exempted [27].
As a leverage point for relevant empirical studies in Ghana and the SSA region of Africa concerning businesses and
sustainable development in the future, this study examines the ‘intent to act’ (commitments) of two major consumer
goods corporate entities to contribute to the sustainability agenda in the Ghanaian context. Ghana is seen as one of
the formidable countries in the SSA region. The country is ranked fourth in Africa in terms of investment destination
for businesses [28], and according to projections by the International Monetary Fund (IMF), per capita incomes in the
country have been rising in turn, topping US$1800 in 2017 [29]. This puts Ghana within the top third of the 46 countries
in the SSA region, with the market for consumer goods expected to surge in the coming years [30]. Ghana has also
been ranked as the fourth with the highest prices of consumer goods among five strong SSA countries with the others
consisting of South Africa, Nigeria, Ethiopia, and Kenya [31], and this is an indication that the consumer goods sector is
raising significant revenues to boost their operations in the country [32]. Nevertheless, the sustainability commitments
of the consumer goods sector have not been given considerable attention despite the intense presence and operations
of consumer goods companies in the country. Generally, there seems to be a weak nexus between sustainability science
and the political decision-making process to inform progress by corporate entities towards achieving the Sustainable
Development Goals (SDGs) in Ghana and the SSA region (see [25, 27]). The weakness is partly driven by the inadequacy in
strategic scientific studies that can inform a meaningful decision-making process within the sustainability science context
of the SSA region, particularly, Ghana. This justifies this study as it takes into account two consumer goods companies in
Ghana (Unilever Ghana Limited and PZ Cussons Ghana Limited) which have intensified communications and discourses
on sustainability since the global transition from Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) to Sustainable Development
Goals (SDGs) in 2015—an indication that perhaps, they are dedicated to actually implementing and getting results from
their sustainability commitments in relation to meeting the SDGs, especially Goal 12—‘Ensure sustainable consumption
and production pattern’.
The emphasis on mere statements of intent (sustainability commitments) of the two entities may potentially be
considered as a limitation of this research, but its strength paradoxically lies in such potentially perceived limitation.
This is because firms’ commitments provide an appropriate framework to assess the extent to which they might
contribute to sustainability through their operations and reporting [25]. In many instances, the SSA regional and
the national sustainability literature on businesses skip the commitments of businesses (the intent to act) to simply
assessing their operations and drawing conclusions that are sometimes far-fetched from the commitments. More
recent and relevant studies such as Quartey and Oguntoye [33], and Tilt et al. [25] respectively focused on determi-
nants of firms’ performances in corporate sustainability, and business sustainability reporting; but identifying and

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evaluating firms’ commitments remain loosely attended to in the discover-sustainability literature in Ghana as a
nation, the SSA region, and Africa in general. This study justifies that the assessment of commitments of businesses
to sustainability provides a better scope to inform policy interventions towards making corporate entities more
responsible to sustainability, as well as a fairer ground to judge the sustainability performances of such businesses.
A traditional review has been considered taking into deliberation the scientific literature, the sustainability reports,
and relevant secondary documents and information of these two companies for conceivable analysis. The study identifies
and evaluates the sustainability commitments of the selected consumer goods companies through a set of parameters
(eight in number) defined by Bocken et al. [18], and instances where data are available, reports the outcomes so far. By
structure, the preceding paragraphs (Sect. 1) have already introduced the entry point of the study as well as its relevance.
The remainder of the paper is organized as follows: The Sustainability commitments of corporate entities section reviews
relevant literature by comparing and contrasting other studies related to corporate sustainability commitments and
practices (Sect. 2); the SBM archetypes section explains Bocken et al.’s [18] SBM archetypes and justifies why they have
been used as the analytical lens to examine the commitments of the selected consumer goods companies (Sect. 3);
Sect. 4 gives an insight into the materials and methods; Sect. 5 contains the analysis of the commitments of the two
corporate entities; Sect. 6 primarily contains the scientific synergy and inferences between the results and the reviewed
literature; and Sect. 7 concludes the study by providing relevant interventional pathways to drive sustainability practices
of the entities considered, with implications on other corporate entities in Ghana and the SSA region of Africa, and the
developing world in general.

2 Sustainability commitments: a contextual review on corporate entities

In the corporate sustainability literature, there is a gradual emphasis and shift from ‘mere commitments’ of corporate
entities to ‘actualities’ towards sustainable development [34]. Asif et al. [35] have however argued that the identification
of corporate sustainability commitments aids their evaluation and management which allow corporate entities to effec-
tively plan and efficiently practicalize their actions for sustainability. In fact, companies themselves as ‘active subjects’ can
affect their context positively by getting committed to sustainability [36]. This, however, is not easy as corporate entities
must, for continuity purpose, fundamentally generate profit to ‘get going’—‘the firm is a profit-generating entity in a
state of constant evolution’ [37, p.1]. Corporate entities’ commitment to sustainability is undeniably good and needs to
be pursued, nevertheless, businesses must ‘do well’ financially so as to ‘do good’ towards sustainability [38]. Some authors
[39–42] contend that profit on the one hand, and sustainability commitments and contributions, on the other hand, do
not stand aloof from each other, but rather, intertwined such that corporate sustainability efforts come along with tan-
gible monetary gains—attractiveness to investors, goodwill, and quality products—helping corporate entities to grow
to become more successful. Corporate entities generate a multiplicity of impacts, both good and bad with the intensity
of their impacts depending on the focal sector of operation [43], the products and services offered [44], the stakeholders
involved [45], the commitments to the wellbeing of communities [46], and the supply chain for the products and services
involved [47]. The impacts, especially the negative ones, generate externalities that challenge the ideals of sustainability
[48, 49], making it an ethical obligation for businesses to be committed to sustainability in their day-to-day operations.
Whilst there is a general consensus that corporate sustainability commitments and practices are necessary, there
seems to be a fuzziness in the accurate justifications of business actions that strengthen sustainability [50–52]. The
meanings of sustainability and sustainable development, in general, are seen as ambivalent; to date, there is confusion
and inconsistencies in methodologies and approaches as well as outcomes associated with actualizing sustainable
development [53]. Some sort of metrics and quantified data exist, although not adequate, for measuring sustainability
[54], and some activities and practices irrespective of how ambiguous their outcomes might be, are universally accepted
to promote sustainability [18]. Corporate entities must be committed and further implement such activities as they
promote the wellbeing of society and the environment [55]. These activities in the context of the corporate world have
been examined by Bocken et al. [18] (see next section) to provide a leverage ground for which corporate entities can
make progress to sustainable development. Corporate entities should therefore take the necessary steps incorporating
sustainability practices in their operations for the protection of the planet [56] whilst reaping the gains associated with
such operational functionalities [57].

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3 The sustainable business model (SBM) archetypes

‘What business model really means?’ is yet to gain a common ground in the business literature [58], as several defini-
tions have been proposed. A business model can give impetus to the configuration of strategies and their related
actions that make corporate entities very competitive [59]. In this research, a business model is seen to be under-
pinned by three interconnected elements—value proposition, value creation and delivery, and value capture [18].
The first element, value proposition connects itself to novel product(s) or feature(s) of product(s) or service(s) that is/
are expected to make a corporate entity attractive to its customers. Such value is related to a promise of value to the
market which is yet to be communicated, delivered to, and appreciated by customers. Value creation, a very important
element, is connected to the efficient and productive use of new business prospects to earn revenue, and it is the
primary aim of every corporate organization. The final element, value capture is concerned with making economic
gains through the sales of goods and services, and/or any other activities such as the provision of information to
users [60]. With insight from Richardson [61], and Osterwalder et al. [62], Bocken et al. [18] simplified that (i) value
proposition involves products and/or services, the segments of customers and the relationships that exist between
them; (ii) value creation and delivery considers the key activities of corporate entities, their resources, channels,
partners and technology; and (iii) value capture entails the cost structure and revenue streams of corporate entities.
Sustainable business model comes in when all the three elements are connected to the sustainability of businesses
and the society at large [63], and this comes along with innovation in terms of the manner in which corporate enti-
ties engage in business [64].
The SBM archetypes were developed in response to the previous gap concerning the absence of a comprehensive
converging point of information on business model innovation. The archetypes unify and classify various means
and approaches of business model innovation by corporate entities giving the space for practices and assessments
of corporate efforts to sustainability so as to offer suggestions for improvements in sustainability commitments to
inform sustainability-driven operations. It must be emphasized that the parameters of the model do not consider the
issues of labour practices and human rights, and do not explicitly address economic sustainability directly. Despite
these lapses, the model is by far, the most comprehensive unification and categorization of corporate commitments
and practices of sustainability. The SBM archetypes are composed of three groupings which are technological, social
and organizational. Details of the archetypes (parameters) are shown in Table 1.

4 Materials and methods

This study is a desk review, involving critical evaluation and drawing inferences from closely defined research mate-
rials, and corporate reports and information on sustainability. As argued by Meredith [65], review studies allow for
divergent but relevant information on important issues to be synthesized through the identification of converging
points—patterns and themes—and this can be used as a leverage ground to justify the conduct of empirical stud-
ies in the future when deemed necessary. Reviews are somehow limited since it is not possible to read and assess
every research material on issues of interest, notwithstanding, a carefully crafted review based on clear and narrowly
defined issues makes it practically conceivable to undertake thought-provoking studies that can contribute to ongo-
ing discourses, debate and/or development [66]. In this review, the researchers are interested in consumer goods
companies that provide a wide range of products that meet the needs of nearly every ordinary person in Ghana.
This somewhat justifies and roots the essence of such companies to be responsible to almost everyone as a sign of
a good-customer relationship, and in relation to the ‘success-ability’ of businesses that claim that ‘the consumer is
always right’ [67, 68] within the conventional scientific literature on morality and market [69]. Two corporate entities
in the consumer goods sector were therefore considered—Unilever Ghana Limited and PZ Cussons Ghana Limited.
They are considered on the basis of their diversified personal products that are fast-moving and generally consumed
by everyone compared to other major consumer goods companies that are demanded by a particular group of
people such as Accra Brewery Company (alcoholic beverages), British American Tobacco Ghana Company (tobacco
products), Cocoa Processing Company (soft drinks), Printex (clothing and accessories), FanMilk Ghana Limited (food
products based on milk products), Guinness Ghana Limited (alcoholic beverages) and others. Unilever Ghana Limited,
for instance, is rated as the largest producer and retailer of a wide array of consumer goods as well as the largest

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 Table 1  Insight into the SBM archetypes. Source: Bocken et al. [18]
Groupings Archetypes Details of archetypes

Technological parameters 1. Maximize material productivity and energy efficiency The archetype is informed by the concept of eco-efficiency introduced by the World Business
Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD) in the early 1990s. Here, corporate entities
must be committed to and/or engage in efficient production processes such that limited
resources are used to produce more products that meet the needs of consumers, with
production wastes reduced to their barest minimum. This intervention may take partner-
Discover Sustainability

ships, and novel approaches and productive changes in the ‘business as usual’ production
processes; and it should result in cost reduction, comprehensive compliance to sustain-
ability provisions, competitiveness of corporate entities, as well as sustainable profits. In the
context of consumer goods companies, reduction of packaging and manufacturing materi-
als, and advancements in the functions of consumer products are pathways to sustainabil-
ity as advocated by this archetype
2. Make waste valuable Companies are entreated to show commitment to and/or ensure ‘zero waste’ such that the
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wastes produced are turned into other useful resources and/or inputs in the production
processes. This calls for strategic interventions towards production such that it matches
with the level at which products are introduced to the markets. In furtherance, partnerships
will be necessary to eliminate life cycle wastes, and to close material loops whilst advanc-
ing the capacity of production processes including previously under-used capacities.
Consumer goods companies can embrace the following examples—the implementation of
the 3R (Re-use, Re-cycle and Re-manufacture) Policy, shared ownerships and collaborative
consumption interventions, and closed-loop and industrial symbiosis
3. Substitute non-renewable resources with renewable Instead of using non-renewable resources which is a common practice in the production
resources, and embrace natural processes in production and processes, entities are required to commit to the replacement of such energy sources with
operation environmentally-friendly energy sources such as renewable energies and natural processes
in their activities. This will help combat production-and-operational-based emissions which
impede environmental sustainability efforts. One common example is the use of solar and
wind energy for power generation, and this can be embraced by consumer goods entities
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Groupings Archetypes Details of archetypes
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Social parameters 4. Deliver functionality instead of ownership of products Corporate entities must show commitment to ensuring that goods are used more intelli-
gently such that they are kept longer in their use phase and must be reused. The emphasis

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is to foster ‘using rather than owning’ on the basis of pay-per-use through the production
of products that deliver functionality to discourage products ownerships by consumers.
This archetype may be difficult to be embraced by consumer goods companies that deliver
food items, (health) care products and cosmetics, but product design and innovation can
encourage peer-to-peer (P2P) services, and shared-use of products by partners and closely-
knit families
5. Embrace a stewardship role Corporate entities as ‘responsible citizens’ must be committed to the long-term health and
wellbeing of the society. This could take many forms including the provision of products
and services that are commensurate to the wellbeing of consumers such as healthcare
products; implementation of CSR projects to reverse social problems for instance, in the
water and sanitation sector; and commitment to the safety, wellbeing and improvement
in the quality of life of companies’ internal customers such as living wages and insurance
packages. Through stewardship commitments, corporate entities gain economically and
socially and contribute enormously to environmental sustainability as well as other SDGs
Discover Sustainability

such as those related to poverty and livelihood, health, education, water and sanitation and
others
6. Encourage sufficiency This is oriented to sustainable consumption calling for corporate entities to show commit-
ment to the implementation of value proposition measures that can reduce significantly
the rate of consumption. A typical example for the case of consumer goods companies is
the design of durable and long-service products combined with aggressive widespread
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interventions such as appropriate use of advertising for awareness creation and education
to change consumption behaviour, promotion and sales characterized by zero discounts,
and incentive packages for wholesalers and retailers to depress overselling. This is because
increased consumption is a dissonance to sustainability
Organizational parameters 7. Change purpose for the society and environment Corporate entities must change their intense focus from ‘customers’ for profit maximiza-
tion as traditionally done to society to ‘environmental and social wellbeing’ of the society
through the creation of a network of stakeholders with local members not disregarded. For
instance, entities could act similarly like social enterprises such that a specific social mission
becomes the primary focus whereas profit becomes a secondary focus. Green products
could be designed and offered to the market, as eco-entrepreneurs do
8. Embrace a scale-up approach in business operations This archetype is a large-scale interventional approach involving the possible combina-
tion of two or more of the other archetypes so that corporate entities deliver sustainable
solutions for the benefit of society and the environment. It can be driven by collaborative
models that could be adopted by large multi-national companies which allow interested
parties to co-initiate and co-implement novel solutions that could have sustainability
impacts globally through significant changes in production models and consumption pat-
terns. Consumer goods companies can embrace, for instance, open innovation platforms,
incubator and entrepreneur support models, and making extensive use of the internet for
collaborative interventions worldwide
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quoted marketing company in the Ghana Stock Exchange (GSE) engaged in the supply of fast-moving consumer
goods including food items, and personal care products. It is also known that worldwide, seven (7) out of ten (10)
households use at least one product from Unilever PLC (an entity to which Unilever Ghana Limited is a subsidiary)
including Lipton, Dove, Omo, Hellman’s, Knorr, Pepsodent, Close-Up, Blue Band margarine, Frytol oil, Lux, LifeBuoy,
and Geisha soaps. On the other hand, PZ Cussons Ghana Limited is rated as a major manufacturer of differentiated
personal healthcare products and personal consumer goods in Ghana, and it is engaged in the sales and distribu-
tion of cosmetics (for example, Venus); soaps (for example, Imperial Leather); and over-the-counter pharmaceutical
preparation and products (for example, Alagbin, Drastin) for both the local and international markets [70].
The choice in favour of the two selected corporate entities was further cemented when the initial reviews of the
websites of several companies turned out that they stand out in terms of rigorous communications on, availability of
up-to-date reports and appreciable level of commitments to the sustainability agenda compared to many of the other
companies. For example, Unilever Ghana Limited has a Sustainable Living Plan targets, and on its websites, it clearly
states that ‘As the world works to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals, it is critical that businesses lead for trust. Key
to this is how we work in closer partnership than even before, meaning new levels of transparency from all parties’ [71]. Also,
PZ Cussons Ghana has ‘Sustainability’ as one of its major themes for operations, and it has specified on its webpage that
‘We believe passionately that business can be a force for positive change. More than that, we believe that businesses have an
active obligation to make a positive contribution to society and to minimize any negative impacts on the environment from
their operations’ [72]. The two selected companies are also key members of the Ghana Recycling Initiatives by Private
Enterprises (GRIPE), an industry-led coalition formed under the Association of Ghana Industries (AGI) with a stake in the
plastic sector to integrate sustainable waste management solutions, particularly around plastics [73]. This shows some
level of commitment to the sustainability agenda.

4.1 Description of selected consumer goods companies

4.1.1 Corporate entity A: Unilever Ghana Limited

Unilever Ghana Limited is located in Accra, the national capital of Ghana, and is one of the companies of Unilever PLC; one
of the leading consumer goods companies in the world which produces and sells about 400 brands of products in over
190 countries [74]. It was formed in 1992 through a merger of Lever Brothers Ghana Limited and UAC Ghana Limited, and
is currently listed on the stock market of Ghana. The company engages in the manufacturing of fast-moving consumer
goods (FMCG) ranging from home and personal care products, and foods. The home and personal care products can be
categorized into laundry and household care (eg: Omo, key soap); skin cleansing (eg: Sunlight, Lux, Geisha, Lifebuoy);
and oral (eg: Pepsodent, Close-up). The food products can be divided into tea (eg: Lipton); spreads (eg: Blue band mar-
garine, I Can’t Believe it’s Not Butter); oils (eg: Bertolli); savory (eg: Aromat, Knorr); and nutrition, health and wellbeing
(eg: Pukka herbs). In line with the sustainability initiative of Unilever PLC dubbed Unilever Sustainable Living Plan (SLP)
(2010–2030), Unilever Ghana Limited have shown its intent to respond to the core elements of the plan which are: (1)
Improving health and well-being for more than one billion people; (2) Reducing environmental impact by half; and (3)
Enhancing livelihoods for millions [75].

4.1.2 Corporate entity B: PZ Cussons Ghana Limited

PZ Cussons Ghana Limited, located in Tema, a proximal city to Accra, and one of the most rapidly growing cities in Ghana,
is part of an international, entrepreneurial conglomerate engaged in the manufacturing and purchasing, and sales and
distribution of food and nutrition products, cosmetics and pharmaceutical products, housekeeping and cleaning prod-
ucts and electrical appliances [76]. It is a subsidiary of PZ Cussons, a British Company of personal health care products and
consumer goods originally formed in 1884, and currently operates in eight countries worldwide including Europe and
the Americas, Asia, and Africa especially the Commonwealth nations [77]. PZ Cussons operates in four categories globally
of more than 20 brands—personal care including beauty (Europe and the Americas, Asia Pacific and Africa), home care
(Asia Pacific and Africa), food and nutrition (Asia Pacific and Africa), and Electricals (Africa) [78]. In Ghana, the company
started its operations in the 1930s in the then Gold Coast, importing goods from Europe for distribution and sale in the
country and West Africa. Currently operating with the name PZ Cussons Ghana Limited, its products are grouped into
two main segments which are the core segment and electrical segment. Whereas the core segment entails nutritional
(eg: Nunu, a powdered milk), home care (eg: Morning Fresh, a dish-washing liquid soap) and personal care (eg: Carex,

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Camel, Cussons Baby) products; the electrical segment composes television sets, home theatre, DVD players, fridges,
and air-conditioners. The company’s efforts to sustainability are grouped under the following: (1) Good4Business (G4B)
which is based on the understanding that the company has obligation to make positive contribution to society, and to
minimize any negative impacts on the environment; (2) The Environment and Our Plastic Promise, which is based on the
special attention granted to the reduction of plastics, water, carbon and waste as part of the company’s commitment to
sustainability; (3) Sourcing and our Palm Oil Promise which is engineered through the company’s commitment to use
palm oil that is responsibly produced, protects animal habitats, respects local and indigenous communities, and does
not contribute to deforestation; (4) Business Governance and Ethics which is premised on the principles of transparency,
honesty, respect, integrity and fairness in engagement with stakeholders including suppliers, customers and business
partners; (5) Local Community and Charity which shows the company’s commitments in driving substantial develop-
ment in its host communities; and (6) Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Policies which define the commitment in
undertaking activities in accordance with high standard of business conduct [79].

4.2 Review approach

The review is based on a qualitative research approach in data gathering and analysis. We used Cronin et al.’s step-by-
step approach to a traditional literature review which involves three phases of literature searching; literature gathering,
reading, and analysis; and writing and referencing [80].

4.2.1 Phase 1: Literature searching

The collection of the secondary information started with an internet search on the two consumer goods companies
to obtain relevant documents including magazines, brochures, online news, and most importantly the Sustainability
Reports (2015–2020) of the consumer goods companies considered. The year 2015 was considered as the base year for
the Sustainability Reports because it marks the starting point for the transition from the MDGs to the SDGs. The year 2020
was considered as the end year because it is the most current year for the Sustainability Reports of the companies even
though the search was conducted in 2020 and 2021. This was followed by an electronic search of academic databases
including Google Scholar, Scopus, Web of Science, Academic OneFile, INSPEC, and ProQuest to obtain relevant articles
that were deemed legitimate based on their titles.

4.2.2 Phase 2: Literature gathering, reading and analysis

A wide range of materials were searched as in phase 1, however, reading through the abstracts of the materials, some of
them were ignored in relation to the aim of the paper, and the ones deemed relevant were gathered for in-depth reading
to support data from relevant sources related to the two companies. The data obtained from all the relevant materials,
particularly those related to the two companies were analyzed in light of the parameters of the adopted model.

4.2.3 Phase 3: Writing and referencing

After phase 2, we decided to write in a coherent and scientific manner as the starting point based on the materials we
have searched for in phase 1. The initial output was then merged with the analyzed results of phase 2 by establishing
logic, followed by drawing inferences through discussions of the reported issues on sustainability, especially in relation
to the SDG 12. The writing and referencing phase was more of a back-and-forth process between the authors, with each
serving as a reviewer of the sections worked on by the other to offset any error, as well as strengthening the paper and
qualifying it for possible publication in a journal.
It is pertinent to indicate that in as much as the findings of this study are relevant in the business-sustainability dis-
courses as it brings on board the sustainability commitments of two major consumer goods companies for which their
operations can be fairly measured on the grounds of their commitments, it will be expedient for relevant empirical stud-
ies to be conducted in the future as an attempt to verify on-the-ground operationalizations of the intent/commitments
of the two entities. This is a potential research to be done by the lead author to augment the findings of this review to
concretely inform policy responses in Ghana.

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5 Research results

The findings of the study are presented in, first, case-by-case manner starting from Unilever Ghana Limited and then to
PZ Cussons Ghana Limited; and second, a simplified table that logically connects the findings to the SBM Archetypes.
The case-by-case presentation approach was considered to allow space to present the sustainability commitments of
the entities by impeding the likelihood of comparison which is not the focus of this study. The results are organized
under the three groupings of the SBM archetypes—technological, social and organizational–for each consumer goods
corporate entity.

5.1 Analysis of commitments of Unilever Ghana Limited

5.1.1 Technological group of archetypes

This group of archetypes mandates corporate entities to: use less resources to produce more and reduce waste; transform
their waste to resources; and make use of renewable energy in the manufacturing of their products. In 2010, Unilever
PLC made a commitment to halve its waste associated with the disposal of products by 2020, in which its subsidiary,
Unilever Ghana Limited was expected to be committed to. Progress from 2015–2018 by Unilever Ghana Limited shows
a 31% reduction in waste, as an incremental effort of achieving a 50% waste reduction target by 2020 [75]. Bocken et al.
[18] revealed de-materialization as one of the ways of reducing waste under Archetype 1 ‘maximize material productiv-
ity and energy efficiency’; and this is an example planned to be used by Unilever Ghana Limited amidst others such as
increase recycled content, and the use of compostable plastic packaging. Waste reduction strategies that the entity is
committed to are the elimination of paper in operational process, elimination of PVCs, and withdrawal from sachet waste
[71]. There are still several possible strategies in reducing waste such as lean manufacturing [81, 82], and increasing the
functionality of products—these are strategies potentially relevant for Unilever Ghana Limited to show commitment
within the context of the sustainability agenda. Again, Unilever Ghana Limited can also show commitment to the turning
of its waste to resources (Archetype 2) in production, if it intends to make an immense contribution to achieve its 50%
target in waste reduction. In line with Archetype 3—a shift to renewable energy, the company aims to become ‘carbon
positive in manufacturing’ through 100% use of renewable energy by 2030. The company, since 2018, intends to source
all energy renewably, eliminate coal from the energy mix and make surplus energy available to communities to achieve
its 100% target of renewable energy use within the remaining period of the SDGs [75].

5.1.2 Social group of archetypes

The social group of archetypes is centred on the creation of sustainability-oriented relationships between the corporate
entities and consumers/customers. It is embroiled in companies showing commitment to, and ensuring the continuous
use of their products by multiple customers instead of one person (Archetype 4), taking care of general wellbeing of
society (Archetype 5), and putting in place measures to cut down consumption to its barest minimum (Archetype 6). In
a direct response to the provisions of Archetype 5, Unilever’s SLP (2015–2030) has ‘improving health and well-being…’ as
one of its pillars showing the entity’s commitment in that respect [75]. Operationally, the company has practicalized its
commitments in respect to Archetype 5 through the sales of oral products such as Pepsodent and Close-up to improve
oral health, as well as educational and sensitization programs on handwashing to reduce diarrheal and respiratory
diseases [83, 84]. Also, the nutritional products of the company meet the requirements of the Ghana Food and Drugs
Authority (FDA) and Ghana Standard Board (GSB); the two public bodies responsible for the regulation and maintenance
of acceptable standards of products and services in Ghana [75, 85, 86]. The company has shown commitments to reducing
saturated fats in food products, calories in children’s ice cream, and reducing salt and sugar levels in all food products.
The company considers its brands as ‘sustainable living brands’ with five golden rules—‘define purpose; take action; talk
my world; friends and family matter; and build touchpoints’ [87] with the ultimate aim of making a positive difference in
society as advocated by proponents of Archetype 5 including Jackson [88]. As part of the global subsidiaries of Unilever
PLC, Unilever Ghana Limited has also indicated its commitment to 100% sustainable sourcing of cocoa in Ghana as a
raw material for its products. This is rooted in its sustainable sourcing strategy, guided by the Unilever Sustainable Agri-
culture Code of 2010 [89] as one of the major tools to assess progress towards the company’s sustainability ambitions

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in agricultural sourcing as part of its stewardship role in society as defined in Archetype 5. There is a growing concern
that substantial cut-down of consumption of products is the most important pathway to a sustainable future [90], with
Bocken et al. [18] spearheading such efforts in Archetype 6, however, Unilever Ghana Limited has no commitments to
cut down the consumption of its products. Promotional advertising through the media to increase the demand for its
products has taken the center-stage of Unilever Ghana Limited’s marketing strategy, and most of its products are short-
service products [91].

5.1.3 Organizational group of archetypes

This group of archetypes is inherently imbibed in corporate entities in terms of how they can restructure themselves
for the benefit of society. Archetype 7 ‘Change purpose for the society and environment’ and Archetype 8 ‘Embrace a
scale-up approach in business operations’ are considered in the organizational group. Unilever Ghana Limited through
its mother organization, Unilever PLC, is committed to making an immense contribution for global benefits through a
scale-up approach in congruence with Archetype 8 [75]. The CEO of Unilever PLC has indicated the company’s intention
to build upon its commitment to responsible business by putting purpose ahead of profit [92], but Unilever Ghana Lim-
ited is yet to transform its structural arrangements for environmental and social wellbeing maximization instead of profit
maximization. All its promotional strategies are intended to incite demand to increase profit for a long-term operation
instead of commitment to a social mission as a primary focus [91].

5.2 Analysis of commitments of PZ Cussons Ghana Limited

5.2.1 Technological group of archetypes

In commensurate with the three archetypes classified under the technological group which are: maximize material pro-
ductivity and energy efficiency (Archetype 1); Make waste valuable (Archetype 2); and Substitute non-renewables with
renewables and natural processes in productions and operations (Archetype 3), PZ Cussons Ghana Limited’s commit-
ments are more oriented to Archetype 1, where it reveals its intent to minimize the generation of waste in production,
and in situations in which waste cannot be reduced, it intends to ride on the 3R policy principle (Recycling, Redirection,
and Reuse) to make waste valuable as described in Archetype 2 [93]. Again, the company is committed to the use of new
technologies and process improvements to reduce energy and water consumption in the production process. Accord-
ing to its Environmental Policy Report, PZ Cussons Ghana Limited has improved in a persistent manner its packaging
design, use and disposal through light-weighting structure and design optimization as well as the elimination of excess
packaging formats [93]. Specific commitments identified include the 100% recyclability of the company’s hand wash
bottles, with such bottles expected to contain 30% recycled plastic to minimize waste [93].

5.2.2 Social group of archetypes

Under the social group of archetypes, PZ Cussons Ghana Limited is expected to be committed to one or more of the
following archetypes: Deliver functionality instead of ownership of products (Archetype 4); Embrace a stewardship role
(Archetype 5); and Encourage efficiency (Archetype 6). The company’s commitments so far are oriented to Archetype
5 and 6, with the former talking about how corporate entities should be concerned and committed to the health and
wellbeing of society, and the latter talking about cutting down on consumption. Tracing from its ‘Our 2020 Action Plan’
Report [94], PZ Cussons Ghana Limited has established a Good4Business (G4B) committee with the core mandate of
ensuring that Business governance and ethics, Environment, Sourcing, and Community and charity remain as the four
principles that drive sustainable value and growth for the benefit of the Ghanaian society. For instance, in line with
the sourcing principle, the company published the ‘PZ Palm Oil Promise Setting out our No Deforestation, No Peat, No
Exploitation (NDPE)’ policy in 2014 [95] which outlines commitments towards sustainable and responsible sourcing of
palm oil which is a major source of raw materials for most of the company’s products. This was in line with the company’s
commitment and respect for local and indigenous communities, protection of animal habitats and not contributing
to deforestation, so as to play a role in the wellbeing of the society. In addition, the 2020 Action Plan prepared in 2019
outlines the commitments and strategies to be used to achieve a 100% sourcing of palm oil from independently verified
suppliers. According to the Action Plan Report, the company has achieved over 90% of its commitments to sustainable
sourcing of palm oil [96]. The company’s brands of products include food and nutrition, home care, personal care and

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pharmaceutical products which are recognized to enhance the wellbeing of consumers. The aforementioned contribu-
tions are oriented to Archetype 5-Enhance stewardship. In furtherance, one of the company’s brands, Carex has been
redesigned centred on circular economy and principles of the 3Rs of Reduce, Reuse and Recycle, based on the company’s
commitments to sustainable consumption under Archetype 6 [97]. Archetype 6 is the model argued within the realm of
academia and civil society space to be the only solution to achieving sustainability [90]. The redesign of the Carex brand
aims to help consumers to reduce their consumption by keeping their packs and pumps for longer and reusing them
through refilling and then recycling at the end of each service life [93]. The company is also committed to the establish-
ment of refill pouch sale outlets in the major cities of Ghana (Accra and Kumasi) to allow customers to refill their products
(for example, hand wash bottles) [98].

5.2.3 Organizational group of archetypes

PZ Cussons Ghana Limited, as a subsidiary of PZ Cussons, the UK which is an international company works with other
subsidiaries within the African region (for example Nigeria and Kenya), Europe and Asia to scale up efforts for global ben-
efits in terms of sustainability as advocated by supporters of Archetype 8 such as Giarratana [99], and Nerka and Shane
[100] who are of the view that large multinationals are likely to be better placed to spearhead sustainability, which is a
global concern. PZ Cussons Ghana Limited has society in mind in conducting business, but profits seem to remain as its
topmost interest in its activities [101], despite commitments to sustainability.
In Table 2, a summary of the sustainability commitments of the two entities through the set of parameters adopted
for the study has been indicated.

6 Discussion

In the current dispensation of sustainability, corporate bodies including consumer goods companies cannot disregard
the pressure from several parties including the State to be committed to the sustainability agenda. In fact, with SDG-12
specifically focusing on corporate entities, characterized by the emblematic inclusive theme ‘leave no one behind’, it
becomes pertinent for sustainability to feature as the central pillar in contemporary business commitments and prac-
tices. This, therefore, calls for innovative business models that respect sustainability. The categorization of sustainable
business models (SBM) into archetypes by Bocken et al. [18] presents insightful lessons and ways for corporate entities
to commit and operate in an environmentally and socially responsible manner for their economic survival. Tu and Huang
[14], for instance, have called on corporate entities to better switch to green products and designs for their own survival
and success. Corporate entities in the Global North, for instance in the Netherlands, Denmark [14], and Germany [20] are
gradually switching to green products, implying that sustainability commitments and best practices exist for countries
in the Global South to learn, contextualize and implement for sustainable development. This proposal is legitimate for
the sustainability agenda of Unilever Ghana Limited and PZ Cussons Ghana Limited, as they are yet to commit to green
products and designs.
It is important to pinpoint that in the phase of pressure on corporate sustainability commitments and practices,
has emerged the dangerous short-cuts sometimes adopted by some irresponsible companies known as ‘green-
wash’—misinformation on corporate sustainability efforts to the public [102]. Walker and Wan [11] have already
commented on this, by revealing that corporate entities in some cases do not ‘walk-the-talk’ in their sustainability
commitments. Thus, they falsify their commitments and contributions for them to appear as ‘responsible citizens’ (as
used by Maighan et al.). [13], but in reality, they are not making any substantial headways [103]. Kim and Lyon [104],
Mitchell and Ramey [105], and Marquis and Toffel [106] commonly noted that in such situations, corporate entities
can intentionally give a full picture of their positive commitments and contributions, and then ignore the negative
outcomes of their activities on sustainability. This indication is highly possible in Ghana, as there are no strong media
reporting, active civil society movement and concrete policy regulations that connect and monitor the commitments
and on-the-ground activities of corporate entities, especially, multinational companies like Unilever Ghana Limited
and PZ Cussons Ghana Limited including the sustainability information they disclose to the public. In the Global
North, for instance in the USA, Furlow [107] found that there has been a substantial increase in media discourses and
watchdog activities on corporate organizations’ commitments and operations. This, unfortunately, is not happening
in the Ghanaian space. Interventions are clearly needed to ensure that corporate entities commit to sustainability
through their activities in Ghana, and possibly, many SSA countries, as false communications (greenwash) come with

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Table 2  Summary of the results-sustainability commitments and SBM archetypes. Source: Authors’ Construct, 2021
Groupings Archetypes Sustainability commitments
Unilever Ghana Limited PZ Cussons Ghana Limited

Technological parameter 1. Maximize material productivity and energy Reduction in production waste such as papers, Minimization of production waste
efficiency PVCs, and sachets The use of new technologies and process improve-
Increase recycled content ments to cut down water and energy consumption
Use of compostable packaging in production
2. Make waste valuable No commitment The use of the 3R policy principle (Recycling, Redi-
rection, and Reuse)
3. Substitute non-renewable energy with renew- 100% use of renewable energy in production No commitment
Discover Sustainability

able energy and embrace natural processes in Elimination of coal from energy mix
production and operation Surplus energy to be made available for local com-
munities
Social parameter 4. Deliver functionality instead of ownership of No commitment No commitment
products
5. Embrace a stewardship role Sales of oral products Establishment of Good4Business committee to drive
Community sensitization programs on hand wash- sustainable value in operations
(2021) 2:27

ing Responsible sourcing of palm oil as raw material for

Nutritional products in conformity to food safety production
requirements of Ghana Production of food and nutrition, home care, per-
Reduction in saturated fats, calories, salts and sugar sonal care and pharmaceutical products
in all food products
A 100% sustainable sourcing of cocoa by 2025
under company’s Sustainable Agriculture Code
6. Encourage sufficiency No commitment Redesign of Carex brand based on circular economy
principle of Reduce, Reuse and Recycle
Organizational parameter 7. Change purpose for the society and environ- No commitment No commitment
ment
8. Embrace a scale-up approach in business opera- Collaborative interventions through mother Engagement in the network of other subsidiaries of
tions organization, Unilever PLC to link up with other mother organization, PZ Cussons, UK to scale-up
Unilever companies globally in sustainability sustainability commitments especially within
efforts Africa
| https://doi.org/10.1007/s43621-021-00037-8
Discover Sustainability (2021) 2:27 | https://doi.org/10.1007/s43621-021-00037-8 Review

negative implications on consumers and society. Parguel et al. [108] indicated that such discrepancy could lead con-
sumers to wrongly evaluate the corporate image of organizations, thinking they are good ‘citizens’ to be associated
with at the onset. But when this falsification is identified, consumers and society become incredulous of corporate
sustainability claims (commitments and practices) and may disassociate themselves from such organizations [109].
This also affects the goodwill of corporate entities [110] leading to low profits, shrinkages, and consequently, die-
off. In some instances, corporate entities may report accurate information on their sustainability commitments, but
the amplification of false information concerns may deviate public attention from the true commitments and good
works of corporate entities towards sustainability. As a result, corporate entities are likely to be demotivated to put
in place novel models such as those categorized in the various archetypes for sustainability. Therefore, it becomes
very necessary for corporate bodies to be genuine in their commitments and practices, not only for the benefit of
the society as widely propagated but also, for their own wellbeing, survival and success in operations [39–42].
The eight archetypes discussed provide useful and novel pathways that make it possible for corporate entities to
embrace sustainability commitments and practices without compromising their profits for survival and expansion.
It behoves Unilever Ghana Limited and PZ Cussons Ghana Limited to remain truthful to their commitments and
operationalize them in an unpretentious manner towards the SDGs, so that other organizations including the small,
emerging and new ones can learn and adapt to suit their individual sustainability commitments and subsequent
activities/practices.

7 Departure point

Despite the corporate entities showing some level of commitments to the sustainability agenda, achieving the corporate
related-SDG (SDG-12) will require the active participation of the State to ensure the practicalization of the commitments.
Strong regulatory systems on corporate sustainability commitments are requisite in Ghana, and this will require the State’s
efforts. The State can foster peer-to-peer learning through a multi-stakeholder engagement with actors in the business
and scientific community that leads to the development of a sustainability-learning framework to guide the transfor-
mation of sustainability commitments to realistic actions. As Smith and Font [111] recommended, business-wide codes
of practices and conduct on sustainability within an organized regulatory environment can help the transformational
process of commitments to sustainability interventions of corporate entities. In furtherance, studies such as Seele and
Gatti [110], and Bazillier and Vauday [112] have reiterated the significance of civil society groups serving as activists in
monitoring the implementation of sustainability commitments of corporate entities such as the ones considered in the
study. The active participation of Civil Society Organizations in watching over the operations of corporate organizations
can be a great path of ensuring corporate accountability and transparency in practicalizing their statements of intent
to act responsibly for sustainable development. Academic commitments in the corporate-sustainability nexus remain
narrow within the Ghanaian space and the SSA region, and this makes scholarships in this direction to guide policy-
making processes and implementations very expedient. This study thus, serves as a pioneering one, and sets the lever-
age ground for empirical studies, not only on large consumer goods companies but small and medium scale entities to
bridge the current gap in sustainability research in terms of the transformation of commitments into actions in Ghana
and the SSA region of Africa at large.

Acknowledgements The authors thank PD. Dr. habil. Ani Melkonyan of the University of Duisburg-Essen, Centre for Logistics and Traffic for
her initial comments that helped in the restructuring of the research. The paper emerged out of the course “Environmental Economics” which
was led by her. We also appreciate the constructive suggestions of the reviewers that have improved the paper.

Authors’ contributions Conceptualization, methodology, formal analysis and writing of initial draft—MA; Writing, formal analysis, review, and
editing of the initial draft—BT. All authors read and approved the content of the manuscript. Any omission is to be blamed on the authors.
All authors read and approved the final manuscript.

Funding Not applicable.

Data and code availability Not applicable.

Declarations

Competing interests The authors declare no competing interests.

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Open Access This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, which permits use, sharing, adapta-
tion, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source,
provide a link to the Creative Commons licence, and indicate if changes were made. The images or other third party material in this article
are included in the article’s Creative Commons licence, unless indicated otherwise in a credit line to the material. If material is not included in
the article’s Creative Commons licence and your intended use is not permitted by statutory regulation or exceeds the permitted use, you will
need to obtain permission directly from the copyright holder. To view a copy of this licence, visit http://c​ reati​ vecom
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