Quotes from Paul Polman

I say to a lot of people you have to measure success in terms of progress, not in terms of end state.

My own fear, if I have one myself, is a fear of being obsolete. This is a world that changes very fast, and one of the main human desires is to belong to, to be part of, something. It's probably one of our greatest needs next to oxygen.

Many businesses understand the advantages of gender parity.

Too many companies are running their business into the ground, I would argue, by being myopically short-term focused on the shareholder.

You can put yourself to the purpose of others, and in doing so, you can be better off.

As CEO of Unilever, my personal mission is to galvanize our company to be an effective force for good.

Why would you invest in a company which is out of synch with the needs of society, that does not take its social compliance in its supply chain seriously, that does not think about the costs of externalities or of its negative impacts on society?

Provocative and challenging The Social License makes a compelling case for why companies must look to increase their positive social impact as an integral part of their core business strategies.

More and more businesses are seeing the potential of a more sustainable business model, driven both by the firm belief that business can be a force for good and by the realization that the cost of inaction often exceeds the cost of action - notably when it comes to the growing threat of climate change and water scarcity.

We cannot eliminate poverty without enabling developing countries to engage more people in economic activity that use natural resources, and we cannot resolve runaway climate change without creating wealth in a more equitable and less carbon intensive way.

My career has been a level of serendipity all along. I've never planned anything out more than a few years. All the places we lived - the 12, 13 countries - and the companies I worked for were a combination of circumstances.

The commitment to put an end to illegal deforestation and develop sustainable alternatives for commodities like palm oil and soy, for example, is an inspiring illustration of what can be achieved when governments and industry partners come together determined to bring about transformational market-wide changes.

Permissible growth in the future has to be based on sustainable and equitable models.

Land is a great example of how we can manage and invest in sustainable infrastructure for economic, social, and environmental gains. Its use - and misuse - is at the heart of the challenge for food, fuel, and fibre.

Leading businesses are making large strides in ensuring a sustainable future, but ultimately, they can only do so much.

Runaway climate change would condemn millions to a life of poverty and cause us to fail to meet the Sustainable Development Goal of eradicating extreme poverty by 2030. This is not an acceptable outcome.

Addressing the weaknesses of capitalism will require us, above all, to do two things: first, to take a long-term perspective, and second, to re-set the priorities of business.

Climate change is sometimes misunderstood as being about changes in the weather. In reality it is about changes in our very way of life.

It is not possible to have a strong, functioning business in a world of increasing inequality, poverty, and climate change.

Consumers in both emerging and developed markets want it all - high-performing products, the right price, and a purpose that they can connect with.

Companies are the first to see the costs of climate change.

I don't have a problem crying when I need to cry.

If the short-term decisions you make damage the long term, you should resist those. But there are many short-term decisions that you need to make to be a successful manager.

I've always been bothered by systems that don't work for everybody. It doesn't mean we're all equal. I am not naive about that. But we should have a more inclusive society.