Kimberly-Clark Renews Commitment to Global Sanitation Crisis Through its Toilets Change Lives Program

Nov 19, 2018 10:25 AM ET

On World Toilet Day 2018, Kimberly-Clark is renewing its commitment to its multi-national program, “Toilets Change Lives” and celebrating the work of our teams and its well-known brands, including AndrexBaby SoftNeveScott, and Suave, to bring greater awareness to the global sanitation crisis.

“The health, safety and dignity toilets can bring to a community is a worthy endeavor of our time and resources, and that’s why we celebrate World Toilet Day. We want to thank our consumers, partners and employees around the world for engaging in this important issue. Their commitment to impacting the world through sanitation is saving lives and transforming communities,” said Rishi Dhingra, Vice President for Kimberly-Clark, and Board Member of the Toilet Board Coalition.

In 2018, Toilets Change Lives will provide funding in Bangledesh, Bolivia, Brazil, Nicaragua, Peru, Honduras, Guatemala and South Africa to bring sanitation services, access to clean drinking water, and hygiene education in partnership with its customers and NGOs, including Water For PeopleWaterAid and Unicef.

“This World Toilet Day, we’re grateful for partners who share our belief that toilets change people’s lives. Kimberly-Clark has been an integral partner in reaching Everyone Forever with safe sanitation services and better toilets, and their support has helped thousands of families across Latin America build bathrooms that improve health and give dignity,” said Eleanor Allen, CEO of Water For People.

In addition to brand-led commercial programs and non-profit partnerships, Kimberly-Clark also co-founded the Toilet Board Coalition, a group of leading companies, government agencies, sanitation experts and non-profit organizations, which aims to develop commercially sustainable and scalable solutions to the sanitation crisis. Over the past year, the Coalition’s Accelerator program for sanitation entrepreneurs serving low income markets nurtured innovative solutions like the Toilet Integration Bus that recycles aging transportation buses into portable public women’s sanitation center.

“At Kimberly-Clark, we believe hygiene isn’t a privilege, it’s something everyone deserves. When we see the impact these programs are making on the ground, it solidifies our commitment to increase awareness and access to sanitation,” said Dhingra.

The United Nations General Assembly officially designated World Toilet Day in 2013 to raise awareness and inspire efforts to tackle the global sanitation crisis. A lack of basic sanitation affects an estimated 2.3 billion people around the world, making ‘access to water and sanitation for all’ an important platform for the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals.