Unilever, UK govt and EY celebrate over ten years of collaboration

Unilever, the UK Government and EY are celebrating more than a decade of collaboration through TRANSFORM, an impact accelerator that has supported 13 innovative enterprises in Bangladesh and reached over 240,000 lives.
Launched in 2015, TRANSFORM is led by Unilever, the UK Government's Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) and EY to help scale enterprises addressing social and environmental challenges across Asia and Africa, says a press release.
In Bangladesh alone, the supported enterprises have reached 247,313 people, including business owners, workers, customers and wider communities.
Since 2022, more than 39,000 customers in Bangladesh have directly benefited from products and services developed by TRANSFORM-backed enterprises. Over the past decade, these enterprises have also raised more than BDT 1.56 billion in follow-on funding.
Shamima Akhter, Director of Corporate Affairs, Partnerships and Communications at Unilever Bangladesh, said local entrepreneurs are delivering practical, community-driven solutions to global development challenges, from waste management to livelihoods creation. She noted that some of these innovations have been integrated into Unilever's own supply chain, supporting its sustainability goals.
Among the notable initiatives, TRANSFORM has worked with HappyTap to improve access to hand hygiene through affordable portable sinks, enabling over 600,000 people to wash their hands at home and in healthcare facilities. Another collaboration with Deshifarmer has promoted climate-smart agriculture, benefiting 3,000 farmers and 20,000 consumers in its first year.
Globally, TRANSFORM has supported more than 140 impact enterprises, reaching over 19 million lives, nearly doubling its impact since 2023. The programme has also engaged 750 employees from Unilever and EY in providing hands-on business support.