Unilever Wants to Filter China’s Foul Air Before It’s Cleaned Up

As urban China was cloaked in smog two years ago, Unilever saw a business opportunity. The company that had perfected its approach to cleanliness and convenience—think Dove soap and Knorr instant soups—bought an air-purifying business, aiming to help Chinese consumers cut through the toxic cloud.

The acquisition of Blueair, a Swedish maker of gently whirring purifiers that strip living spaces of airborne pollutants, seemed like a forward-looking extension of the Anglo-Dutch company’s business approach, which it describes as doing well by doing good. If “sustainability” could help sell food and unguents, then why not appliances, too?

Blueair purifiers.

Source: Unilever

“Just because you ...