Unilever Canada Inc. (“Unilever” or “we”) respects your privacy and will only
collect, use, and disclose your personal information in accordance with this
Privacy Policy. This Privacy Policy outlines the type of personal information
that is collected by Unilever Canada from consumers, suppliers, distributors,
service providers, website visitors and other individuals (“individuals” or
“you”) and how we use and protect it. This Privacy Policy also tells you what
to do if you do not want your Personal Information used for marketing purposes,
and how you can change information you have already provided to us.
2.
WHAT PERSONAL INFORMATION DOES UNILEVER COLLECT?
“Personal information” as used in this Privacy Policy means information
about an identifiable individual, as defined in applicable privacy laws.
Personal information may include your name, home address, home telephone
number, home e-mail address, preferences and opinions.
Consumers: Unilever may collect personal information about consumers
when they submit information to our websites, call our Consumer Services
Contact Centre or otherwise communicate with us (e.g. to enter a contest, send
eCARDs, request information or mailings, buy a product or service, or
participate in a survey).
Third Parties: In limited circumstances, Unilever may collect personal
information about third parties. For example, some of our websites offer
visitors the ability to send information to a friend by e-mail (an eCARD). A
visitor may provide us with his or her friend’s name and e-mail address. Please
note that Unilever will use such information only for the specified purpose
(e.g. to send the eCARD) and we will not contact the third party again unless
and until the third party contacts us.
Children: Unilever is committed to protecting the privacy of children
and we do not knowingly solicit information from children under the age of 13,
except from time to time at certain websites that are directed to children. If
a child under the age of 13 wishes to send us personal information, he or she
is required to provide Unilever with his or her parent’s or guardian’s e-mail
address so that we can obtain permission. If a child has already provided us
with personal information, his or her parent or guardian may contact us for the
purpose of correcting or deleting this information (please see “Who
to Contact” in Section 8 below). We encourage parents of children under
the age of 13 to regularly check and monitor their children’s use of e-mail and
the Unilever websites.
3.
WHY DOES UNILEVER COLLECT PERSONAL INFORMATION?
Unilever and its agents, affiliates and service providers may collect, use
and/or disclose Personal Information for one or more of the following
purposes:
a)
to understand consumer
needs and preferences, and to communicate with website visitors and consumers;
b)
to administer the
Unilever Canada Consumer Services Contact Centre and to respond to consumer
inquiries;
c)
to conduct surveys,
contests and promotions;
d)
to conduct research
and statistical analysis;
e)
to distribute Unilever
newsletters, promotional information, product samples, coupons and other
material to individuals who have voluntarily enrolled in our mailing lists
and/or e-mailing lists, including via third party mailing houses;
f)
to develop, enhance,
market, sell, provide and inform individuals of, Unilever’sproducts and
services;
g)
to develop, enhance,
market, sell, provide and inform individuals of, products and services of third
parties, including our affiliates and suppliers, with whom Unilever has a
commercial relationship;
h)
to update and verify
Unilever databases and information provided by third parties;
i)
to monitor
communications to ensure the consistency and quality of the products and
services of Unilever, its affiliates, suppliers, distributors, retailers and
other third parties with whom Unilever has a commercial relationship;
j)
with respect to
individual service providers, suppliers, distributors and retailers, to: (1)
consider whether Unilever or any of its affiliates should establish or continue
a commercial relationship, including without limitation, to extend credit and
to evaluate credit standing and to match credit bureau or credit reporting
agency information, to check references and to confer with banking
institutions; and (2) establish and maintain commercial relationships, to
provide products and services, administer accounts, make and receive payments,
facilitate product delivery and returns, and fulfill contractual obligations;
k)
to detect and protect
Unilever and other third parties against error, negligence, breach of contract,
fraud and other illegal activity, and to comply with Unilever audit
requirements, and to audit compliance with Unilever’s policies, procedures,
laws and contractual obligations;
l)
to engage in business
transactions that may involve the sale or transfer of personal information,
including the purchase, sale, lease, merger, amalgamation or any other type of
acquisition, disposal, securitization or financing involving Unilever or its
affiliates or any particular brand, product line or business unit;
m)
as permitted by, and
to comply with, any laws or regulations; and
n)
for any other purpose
to which an individual consents.
4. HOW DOES UNILEVER COLLECT, USE AND DISCLOSE PERSONAL
INFORMATION
Unilever collects, uses and discloses personal information in accordance with
the following ten privacy principles which form the basis of this Privacy
Policy.
Accountability
Unilever is responsible for personal information under its control and has
designated Privacy Officers to be accountable for Unilever’s compliance with
this Privacy Policy and applicable laws.
Identifying Purposes for Collection of Personal Information
Unilever identifies the purposes for which personal information is collected at
or before the time the personal information is collected. Some of the
identified purposes for which Unilever currently collects, uses or discloses
personal information are described in Section 3 above.
Obtaining Consent for Collection, Use or Disclosure of Personal Information
The knowledge and consent of an individual are required for the collection, use,
or disclosure of his or her personal information, except as permitted by law.
In obtaining consent, Unilever uses reasonable efforts to ensure that an
individual is advised of the identified purposes for which personal information
will be used or disclosed. In determining the appropriate form of consent,
Unilever takes into account the sensitivity of the personal information and the
reasonable expectations of a reasonable person. An individual may withdraw
consent at any time, subject to legal or contractual restrictions and
reasonable notice. At that time, Unilever will advise the individual of the
implications of such withdrawal.
Limiting Collection of Personal Information
Unilever limits the collection of personal information, both the amount and the
type of information, to that which is necessary for the purposes identified by
Unilever. Unilever collects personal information by fair and lawful means, and
not by misleading or deceiving individuals about the purpose for which
information is being collected.
Limiting Use, Disclosure, and Retention of Personal Information
Unilever does not use or disclose personal information for purposes other than
the identified purposes for which it is collected, except with the consent of
the individual or as required or permitted by law. Unilever retains personal
information only as long as is necessary to fulfill the identified purposes.
Accuracy of Personal Information
Personal information held by Unilever is as accurate, complete and up-to-date as
is necessary for the purposes for which it is to be used. Information will be
sufficiently accurate, complete, and up-to-date to minimize the possibility
that inappropriate information may be used to make a decision about an
individual. Unilever does not routinely update personal information, unless
such process is necessary to fulfill the identified purposes. We rely on
individuals to inform us of any changes to their personal information. To
update your personal information, please see Section 8 below.
Security Safeguards
Unilever protects personal information by security safeguards appropriate to the
sensitivity of the information. Unilever uses reasonable efforts and security
measures to protect personal information against loss or theft, as well as
unauthorized access, disclosure, copying, use, modification, disposal or
destruction.
Openness Concerning Policies and Practices
Unilever makes this Privacy Policy readily available to individuals in order to
provide specific information about its policies and practices relating to the
management of personal information. This Privacy Policy is available on the
Unilever website at www.unilever.ca/privacy.html and upon request to the
Consumer Services Contact Centre via the contact information provided below.
Individual Access to Personal Information
Upon written request from an individual, Unilever will inform the individual of
the existence, use, and disclosure of his or her personal information and,
subject to certain exceptions provided by law, will give the individual a
reasonable opportunity to review the personal information collected by
Unilever. Unilever will make every reasonable effort to provide personal
information in an understandable form within a reasonable time, generally
within 30 days, and at minimal cost to the individual. An individual will be
able to challenge the accuracy and completeness of the information and have it
amended as appropriate. If access is denied, Unilever will inform the
requesting individual in writing.
Challenging Compliance
Consumers may address a challenge concerning compliance with this Privacy Policy
to Unilever’s Consumer Services Contact Centre. Suppliers, resellers,
distributors, retailers and other organizations and individuals may contact
their Unilever representative. If an issue is not resolved, individuals may
contact the Unilever Canada Privacy Officers. All contact information is
provided in Section 8 below.
5.
TO WHOM DOES UNILEVER DISCLOSE PERSONAL INFORMATION?
In addition to the purposes identified above, from time to time Unilever may
collect or disclose personal information from or to:
a)
to a person who, in the
reasonable judgment of Unilever, is providing or seeking the information as an
agent of the subject individual, such as a parent or guardian of a child under
the age of 13;
b)
to service providers
retained by Unilever in Canada or outside Canada to perform functions on its behalf or to provide services
to Unilever, such as advertisers, promotion and mailing houses, market
researchers, delivery contractors, auditors, website administrators, data
processing, information technology and office services, provided such
organization or individual does not collect, use or disclose the personal
information for any purpose other than to perform such functions or provide such
services to Unilever; or
c)
to any third party where
the subject individual consents to such collection, use or disclosure, or as
required or permitted by law.
When you access Unilever websites, we may use a
browser feature called a ‘cookie’ to collect information that is not personally
identifiable (such as the type of Internet browser and operating system you
use, the domain name of the website from which you came, number of visits,
average time spent on our website, and pages viewed). A cookie is a small text
file containing a unique identification number that identifies your browser,
but not you, to our computers each time you visit one of our websites that uses
cookies. Unless you specifically inform us (e.g. by completing a Unilever
e-newsletter enrollment form), we will not know who you are. In addition to the
identified purposes described in our Privacy Policy, Unilever may use this
cookie information and share it with our affiliates and other organizations
with whom we have a commercial relationship to measure the use of our websites
and to improve the functionality and content of the websites.
Online and Offline Communications
In order to provide you
with a product, service or information, you may voluntarily submit personal
information to us for purposes such as registering for our services, obtaining
information, corresponding with us, and participating in contests and surveys.
We may combine and store personal information about your use of our websites
and the online information you have provided with certain other online and
offline information we may have collected.
E-Mail Communications
If you subscribe to any of our
e-newsletters or other similar website services, Unilever may send you e-mail
communications with information that may be useful to you, including
information about the products and services of Unilever, its affiliates and
other third parties with whom we have a commercial relationship. We will
include instructions on how to unsubscribe and inform us of your preferences if
you decide you do not want to receive any future marketing or promotional
e-mails from Unilever. In addition, at any time you may let us know that you wish
to discontinue such mailings or contact by contacting the Consumer Services
Contact Centre.
Links
Our websites may contain links to other websites which
are provided to you as a convenience only. You are advised that other third
party websites may have different privacy practices than Unilever, and Unilever
has no responsibility for such third party websites.
Unilever reserves the right to modify or supplement this Privacy Policy at any
time. If we make any change to this Privacy Policy, we will post such changes
on our website and will be available upon request to the Consumer Services
Contact Centre. However, Unilever will seek an individual’s consent if it seeks
to collect, use or disclose his or her personal information for purposes other
than those to which the individual has consented unless otherwise required or
permitted by law.
8.
WHO TO CONTACT AND MAKING CHANGES TO YOUR PERSONAL
INFORMATION
Consumers and Website Visitors:
Please contact our
Consumer Services Contact Centre by sending an e-mail to
privacy.canada@unilever.com,
calling 1-888-568-7644, or writing to the Unilever Canada Consumer Services
Contact Centre, P.O. Box 38, Saint John, New Brunswick, E2L 3X1, Canada, if you
have any questions or comments about this Privacy Policy or to do any of the
following:
to correct, update or delete your personal information from our records
to correct, update or delete personal information that your child under age 13
has provided to Unilever
to unsubscribe from mailings and other Unilever contact
to report any suspected violations of this Privacy Policy
Unilever Service Providers, Suppliers, Distributors, Retailers and for all
other privacy-related inquiries:
If you have questions or
comments about this Privacy Policy, please contact the Unilever representative
that you correspond with in the normal course of your business relationship
with Unilever. If any privacy-related issues or questions are not resolved
through our representative, please write to our Consumer Services Contact
Centre at the address noted above.
Date Last Revised:
Effective January 1, 2004
Description of Revisions:
Not applicable
Unilever Canada is committed to protecting your privacy. Please do not hesitate
to contact us if you have any questions, comments or concerns about this
Privacy Policy.
UNILEVER CANADA INC. BACKGROUND: Unilever is one of the world's largest consumer
products companies, marketing a wide range of foods, home and personal care
products. Our purpose is to meet the everyday needs of people everywhere.
Unilever Canada Inc. is a diversified consumer products company whose interests
in Canada include Unilever Canada - Foods and Home and Personal Care, Good
Humor-Breyers, UBF Foodsolutions and Unilever Cosmetics International (Canada).
Unilever Canada’s best known brands include Becel, Imperial, SlimFast, Lipton,
Knorr, Bertolli, Breyers, Popsicle, Dove, Vaseline, Degree, SunSilk and
Lever2000. Unilever Canada Inc. is a member of the Unilever PLC and Unilever NV
group of companies. As such, Unilever Canada Inc. is required to comply with an
internal Unilever Privacy Policy that applies to all members of the Unilever
Group of companies in relation to the collection and use of personal
information. However, where such policy conflicts with applicable Canadian law,
Unilever Canada Inc. is to comply with such Canadian law.
