Led and sponsored by Unilever, this not-for-profit collaboration of research agencies, clients and associations has worked to give access to ethically sourced research to further the 17-point plan of the UN Global Goals – end poverty, combat climate change and fight injustice and inequality.  

Partners include MRS, Unilever, Kantar, Nielsen, Metrixlab, GfK,Save The Children, ESOMAR, Big Picture, Big Sofa, Discuss iO, GRBN, Motivaction, Qa Research, StreetInvest and Sapient Nitro.

In December 2018 the partnership’s SDG Action Campaign, supported by Kantar Public, and local market research agencies was awarded the President’s Medal at the MRS Awards.  Conducted on an entirely voluntary basis, the initiative allows countries to measure their fulfilment of UN Sustainable Development Goals.

Other Paragon Partnership projects have included market research workshops in Sri Lanka, led by the Market Research of Sri Lanka (MRSSL) and Esomar, and a collaboration between StreetInvest and Big Sofa to challenge the entrenched perceptions of street children.

Stan Sthanunathan, executive vice-president, consumer & market insights, Unilever, said: “Data and insight will play a vital role in solving some of the biggest challenges people are facing around the world.  This truly collaborative initiative between clients, agencies, NGOs and industry associations is transformative – three years have flown by and its impact has already been significant.”

Jane Frost, CEO of MRS, added: “The amount it has achieved in just three years is further evidence of London leading the way in exporting world-class initiatives and insight.”