Alliance will move Unilever U.S. to 100 percent renewable energy use with NRG’s assistance

PRINCETON, N.J. & ENGLEWOOD CLIFFS, N.J.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--May 7, 2014-- NRG Energy, Inc. (NYSE:NRG), and Unilever United States, Inc. today announced the formation of a strategic partnership that revolutionizes the relationship between the energy and consumer products sectors, and further demonstrates the importance of collaboration to tackle global challenges. The partnership aligns with the Unilever Sustainable Living Plan, which is the company’s global blueprint for sustainable growth that aims to double the size of Unilever’s business while reducing the company’s environmental footprint and increasing its positive social impact.

Unilever U.S. already purchases 100% of its electricity from renewable sources for all of its sites through renewable energy certificates (RECs), which are credits for using energy from third-party renewable sources. Now, through this novel partnership, NRG will help Unilever take the next step beyond RECs by providing solutions for onsite and offsite renewable generation resulting in 100% clean energy for all energy use at Unilever U.S. sites by 2020.

Through the partnership, NRG will employ various alternative energy technologies that will be scalable and transferable to other industry sectors. This approach will further demonstrate NRG’s commitment to creating a sustainable energy future for companies and consumers. The innovative and cost-effective solutions developed through this partnership will further position Unilever as an industry leader in sustainable operations.

“Unilever, through its commitment to clean energy, is demonstrating in a truly meaningful way that it cares about its consumers and their well-being in a manner far beyond that of conventional companies seeking to sell products. They also are demonstrating through actions, rather than just words, what being a leader in the clean energy economy means,” said David Crane, President and CEO of NRG. “We, at NRG, are very proud to be Unilever's partner in this journey to a future that we will be proud to bequeath to our children.”

“We are making good progress on the Unilever Sustainable Living Plan in the U.S., but we must do more to drive system change,” said Kees Kruythoff, President, Unilever North America. “This transformational partnership with NRG to move all of our U.S. operations to 100 percent renewable energy will make our business more resilient, sustainable, and profitable. It is our hope and expectation that our collaboration with NRG will also inspire a broader acceleration and uptake of renewable energy technologies.”

NRG and Unilever will share periodic updates on the progress of the collaboration.

About Unilever United States, Inc.

Unilever [NYSE: UL or UN] is one of the world’s leading suppliers of Food, Home and Personal Care products with sales in more than 190 countries. Working to create a better future every day, we help people feel good, look good and get more out of life. In the United States, the portfolio includes brand icons such as: Axe, Ben & Jerry’s, Bertolli, Breyers, Caress, Clear Scalp & Hair Therapy, Consort For Men, Country Crock, Degree, Dove personal care products, Fruttare, Good Humor, Hellmann’s, I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter!, Just for Me!, Klondike, Knorr, Lever 2000, Lipton, Magnum, Motions, Nexxus, Noxzema, Pond’s, Popsicle, Promise, Q-tips, Ragú, Simple, Slim-Fast, St. Ives, Suave, TIGI, TONI&GUY Hair Meet Wardrobe, TRESemmé and Vaseline. All of the preceding brand names are trademarks or registered trademarks of the Unilever Group of Companies.

Our ambition is to double the size of our business, while reducing our overall environmental footprint (including sourcing, consumer use and disposal) and increasing our positive social impact. We are committed to helping more than a billion people take action to improve their health and well-being, sourcing all our agricultural raw materials sustainably by 2020, and decoupling our growth from our environmental impact. Supporting our three big goals, we have defined seven pillars, underpinned by targets encompassing social, environmental and economic areas. See more on the Unilever Sustainable Living Plan at http://www.unileverusa.com/sustainable-living/.

Unilever employs approximately 10,000 people in the United States – generating nearly $9 billion in sales in 2013. For more information, visit www.unileverusa.com, connect with us on Facebook and follow @unileverusa on Twitter.

About NRG

NRG is leading a customer-driven change in the U.S. energy industry by delivering cleaner and smarter energy choices, while building on the strength of the nation’s largest and most diverse competitive power portfolio. A Fortune 500 company, we create value through reliable and efficient conventional generation while driving innovation in solar and renewable power, electric vehicle ecosystems, carbon capture technology and customer-centric energy solutions. Our retail electricity providers serve almost 3 million residential and commercial customers throughout the country. More information is available at www.nrgenergy.com. Connect with NRG Energy on Facebook and follow us on Twitter @nrgenergy.

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Source: NRG Energy, Inc.

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