Consumer goods giants Danone and Unilever believe that the European Union should consider funding, or finding other ways to support, business efforts to sell goods to very poor customers in deprived parts of the world.

Public money could enable business to provide essential goods and services, at a small profit, to the world’s poor in a way that would help European governments achieve international development goals, the companies say.

Danone and Unilever want the European commission, the European Union’s executive body, to consider how it could help business reach more consumers at the base of the pyramid, or the 3.1 billion people in the world living on less than $2.50 a day.

Upcoming Ethical Corporation conferences & events:
Learn vital anti-corruption, ethics and compliance best practice and strategies at foremost European Summit
2–3 November 2010, London Learn CSR best practice from multinational CEOs and 450 of your peers at Europe’s largest sustainability conference
3–4 May 2011, London Find out how M&S, Alstom, Cadbury, P&G engage their suppliers in sustainability - and saved £££s
9–10 November 2010, London
Please login to view whole article - or subscribe here.
For a free two week trial to Ethical Corporation online, please click here.