Sebastian Munden awarded CBE

Sebastian Munden (1986) has been awarded a CBE in King Charles’ New Year Honours for services to Business and to the Circular Economy.  Sebastian is Chair of the global board of trustees for the environmental action NGO WRAP and of Ad Net Zero, the advertising industry’s climate action programme.  

As Chair of WRAP, Sebastian has helped the organisation establish WRAP Americas, WRAP EU and a more global way of working. WRAP is renowned for its ground-breaking work bridging governments, businesses and society to reshape the economy from one where a take-make-dispose approach generates volumes of greenhouse gas emissions and polluting waste, to a transformative new approach for food, textiles and manufactured products. 

Before becoming Chair of WRAP and Ad Net Zero, Sebastian worked for more than 30 years in consumer products, building strong brands with commercial success while addressing wider responsibilities to society and the planet. He was chief executive of Unilever UK & Ireland for five years until 2022, and before this head of Unilever’s global marketing operations and held other senior roles across Europe and North America. 

Sebastian is the independent Chair of the advisory steering group for Pack UK - the scheme administrator for UK household packaging recycling (Extended Producer Responsibility). The group representing industry sectors, all home nations, and local authorities has been giving wide-ranging input to Pack UK during the set-up of the scheme.

Commenting on the award, Sebastian Munden said, “This is an incredible honour. I’d like to pay tribute to my former colleagues at Unilever for over three decades of developing new products together, without whose inspiring partnership none of this would have been possible. And to my current colleagues at WRAP and Ad Net Zero working with businesses to make the circular economy an everyday reality across many different sectors.  

“It's also recognition for all those in the grocery industry working to create a better packaging system, and for the practical contribution of businesses alongside national and local governments in the way change is implemented.

It’s a joy to work alongside so many people who want to innovate a better future that’s also better business, with the circular economy growing in value much faster than the economy as a whole.”