News release
17 November 2017

Henkel and WaterAid launch a partnership to tackle water and sanitation crisis

Bloo, the No.1 WC hygiene brand in the UK*[1], and part of Henkel’s Laundry & Home Care portfolio, has today announced the beginning of a partnership with international charity WaterAid to help transform lives around the world with clean water and toilets.

The announcement coincides with World Toilet Day (19 November), which highlights the global sanitation crisis affecting an overwhelming 2.3 billion people. A lack of decent toilets and clean water impacts on health, education, livelihoods, dignity and safety. The effects are particularly devastating for women and girls, who bear the brunt of the crisis.

In 2018, Bloo, which is committed to ensuring hygiene and comfort in daily life, willdonate £100,000 to support WaterAid’s Healthy Communities project in Mali, where more than 4,000 children under the age of five die every year from diarrhoea caused by dirty water and poor sanitation.

By 2020, the project aims to reach nearly 60,000 people with clean water and toilet facilities and another 72,500 people with improved hygiene behaviour, helping lift entire communities out of poverty.

From March 2018, customers will be able to find jointly branded toilet rim blocks supporting the partnership.

Manuela Unger, the Marketing Director UK & Ireland from Henkel’s Laundry & Home Care said:“It’s very easy for us to take toilets for granted, but for one in three people across the world, such a normal part of everyday life is an unimaginable luxury. We are passionate about everyone having access to good sanitation and hygiene, and proud to be supporting WaterAid’s lifesaving work.”

Tim Wainwright, Chief Executive at WaterAid, said:“We’re delighted to announce the launch of WaterAid’s partnership with Bloo this World Toilet Day. Their valuable support will help transform lives in Mali, where currently a quarter of people have no access to clean water, and two thirds have nowhere safe to go to the toilet. This situation traps entire communities in ill health and poverty.

“If the world is to meet its commitment to ensure that by 2030 everyone everywhere has access to clean water and sanitation, we all need to work together. It can only be achieved through strong political will and cross-sector collaboration.Businesses like Bloo have an important role to play in reaching this momentous goal and creating change that will transform life for future generations.”

Ends

Contact: Gill Gibbons, Wychwood Communications.

07795 342804

About Henkel

Henkel operates worldwide with leading brands and technologies in three business units: Laundry & Home Care, Beauty Care and Adhesive Technologies. Every day, millions of customers and consumers use products from Henkel with brands such as Bloo, Jeyes, Dylon and Colour Catcher; Schwarzkopf, LIVE, Got2B and RightGuard; Pritt, Sellotape, UniBond and Loctite.

Our global team of more than 50,000 colleagues is united by a common purpose of ‘creating sustainable value’ for customers and consumers, for our teams and people, for our shareholders, and for the communities in which we operate.

Henkel reported sales of €18.7 billion in 2016, and an adjusted operating profit of €3.2 billion euros. Its shares are listed in the German stock index DAX.

WaterAid

WaterAid is working to make clean water, decent toilets and good hygiene normal for everyone, everywhere within a generation. The international not-for-profit organisation works in 34 countries to change the lives of the poorest and most marginalised people. Since 1981, WaterAid has reached 25.8 million people with clean water and 25.1 million people with decent toilets.For more information, visit follow @WaterAidUK or @WaterAidPress on Twitter, or find WaterAid UK on Facebook at

  • 844 million people in the world – one in nine – do not have clean water close to home.[[1]]
  • 2.3 billion people in the world – almost one in three – do not have a decent toilet of their own.[[2]]
  • Around 289,000 children under five die every year from diarrhoeal diseases caused by poor water and sanitation. That's almost 800 children a day, or one child every two minutes.[[3]]
  • Every £1 invested in water and toilets returns an average of £4 in increased productivity.[[4]]
  • Just £24 can provide one person with clean water.[[5]]

To find out if countries are keeping their promises on water and sanitation, see the online database

[1](Source: IRI UK, P10 (October 2017) value market share in WC Hygiene (Rim and Tank categories)

[[1]]WHO/UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme (JMP) Progress on drinking water, sanitation and hygiene: 2017 update and SDG Baselines

[[2]]WHO/UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme (JMP) Progress on drinking water, sanitation and hygiene: 2017 update and SDG Baselines

[[3]] washwatch.org

[[4]] World Health organization (2012) Global costs and benefits of drinking-water supply and sanitation interventions to reach the MDG target and universal coverage

[[5]]