The multinational brand says that it aims to help protect and regenerate 1.5 million hectares of land, forests and oceans by 2030.

This is more land than is required to grow the renewable ingredients in Unilever's Beauty & Wellness products, adds the brand.

The brand also aims to empower a new generation of farmers and smallholders to protect and regenerate their environment and help achieve its goal of net zero emissions for all its products by 2039.

Unilever adds that it has also committed to halving its use of virgin plastic with 25% of plastic used coming from post-consumer recycled materials and achieving 100% recyclable, reusable and compostable packaging by the year 2025.

"Our objective is to help protect and regenerate more of the planet than we use for our products. So, moving to more renewable or recycled materials will be central to this plan," says Keegan Alicks, Beauty & Wellness category director for Southern Africa.

Shield's new design is 30% lighter, thanks to a significant reduction in the use of virgin plastic, according to the brand. It still offers the same volume consumers are used to while also reducing the product's environmental impact through less plastic in landfills.

The new pack is also made of HDPE (high-density polyethene), a grade of plastic that is more easily recyclable and more readily available in its recycled form.

Alicks says, "With millions of South Africans using our Beauty & Wellbeing products every day, and even more seeing our advertising, our brands have the power to make a real difference in people's lives."

"More than ever, consumers are rewarding brands that act on the social and environmental issues they care about, so we are excited to introduce this new pack change because we believe it will make us a stronger, more conscious and more successful business," Alicks adds.

"The new roll-on packaging highlights that more sustainable packaging is beautiful and very necessary to be truly planet-positive," says Alicks.

"The new roll-on pack is a deliberate evolution of the familiar founding design — creating the greenest Shield roll-on ever — while also providing an uncompromised product experience in an innovative, high-quality and modern redesign that stands both ways, giving consumers the opportunity to use every drop," Alicks concludes. 

For more information, visit www.shield.co.za. You can also follow Shield on Twitter or on Instagram.