Sebastian Munden

"I always say my purpose is to 'make it better' – driving performance and improving outcomes to make things better for the planet, better for citizens, better for people's wellbeing, better for biodiversity, and better for society."

With 32 years’ experience in consumer products, Sebastian has held senior international roles and was Chief Executive of Unilever UK & Ireland until 2022.

During his time at Unilever, Sebastian saw how they could reduce consumer products packaging, which saved both money and benefitted the planet. He instigated the change to make the design of packaging more recyclable at the end of its life.

Recognising that the change needed to happen across the industry, Sebastian was instrumental in signing Unilever up to be a founding member of The UK Plastics Pact. This leadership demonstrated the value he places in target-based initiatives and engaging with the broadest coalition of partners to make change happen at scale.

"I always believed in two things: that in the long run no-one is going to buy products from companies who are wilfully destroying the planet, and that profit creates resources which can make sustainability financially sustainable. We invested in future-proofing products, so the person buying the product could make a better choice even if they didn't realise it."

Sebastian is a strong believer in WRAP’s message that for the world to reach net zero we must change the way things are produced, consumed, and disposed of by adopting a more circular living approach. This requires the willingness of governments, financial institutions, businesses, and individuals to all move in the same direction.

"I joined WRAP because I believe that tackling systemically the way goods are made, used, and disposed of is at the heart of decoupling economic growth, human prosperity, and the toll that we take on the planet. That is such a vital thing and that is what we are here to do."

In addition to Sebastian being WRAP's Chair, he is a business strategy adviser on the implications of Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) and has a strong track record speaking to governments, foundations, and businesses globally about the work of WRAP and what needs to be done to tackle climate change.

Sebastian is co-author of a new book, Sustainable Advertising: how advertising can support a better future, co-authored with Matt Bourn, outlining how advertising can accelerate the sustainable economy and circular living through citizen behaviour change.

His recent speaking highlights include delivering a presentation on circular business models as part of Economist Impact’s ‘Sustainability Week: Countdown to COP28’; participating in The Grocer’s 'Sustainability vs affordability’ panel discussing how brands and retailers can strike the right balance; myth-busting at the Innovation Forum’s ‘The Future of Plastics and Packaging’ event in Amsterdam; and exploring the benefits and challenges of embracing the circular economy at BusinessGreen’s Net Zero Festival and at ICC’s International Trade and Prosperity Week.

"We need to explain what we do at our core to different audiences in the language that matters to them and to show that by reforming and moving away from 'dig, use, and throw away' to responsible sourcing, responsible usage, and responsible dismantling, re-usage and reprocessing that we can actually create benefits way beyond the lived environment to tackle climate change, and support biodiversity and the environment."

"It's important to explain what we do in ways that are meaningful to the challenges of today. That's what's most important - that people hear our messages and change their behaviours."