P&G brands such as Fairy, Ariel, Head & Shoulders and Gillette are all products used alongside water, as such, the parent company is rolling out a new campaign to create better access to clean water and contribute to the UN Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 6 – Clean Water and Sanitation.
The company’s #ActForWater campaign will donate up to half a million litres of clean water for communities that are lacking access. Specifically, P&G will donate one litre of clean water for every online share of the ‘Clean Water’ episode of its ongoing docuseries on environmental action.
In partnership with National Geographic, P&G will run the Clean Water episode on Friday 11 October at 10 pm. It will feature the firm’s Children’s Safe Drinking Water (CSDW) Programme, which works with more than 150 partnering organisations, including World Vision and Save The Children, to provide access to clean drinking water. The programme helps communities after floods and earthquakes and those who struggle for access to water in everyday life.
Since its launch in 2004, CSDW has provided more than 15 billion litres of clean water in more 90 countries, with a goal of providing 25 billion litres by 2025.
“Clean water is a basic human need, and it has the power to transform lives, yet, access remains a serious challenge for millions around the world” P&G’s global programme leader for CSDW, Allison Tummon Kamphuis, said.
“Through the power of clean water, and in partnership with our network of valued partners, the P&G Children’s Safe Drinking Water Programme is helping to keep children healthy, enabling them to get an education, and offering a more promising future for families all over the world.”
Action on SDG 6
Around 30% of the population still lack safe drinking water supplies, while more than 60% still go without safe sanitation services. The World Health Organization estimates that 844 million people around the world lack access to even basic drinking water, with at least 2 billion people using a contaminated drinking water source
Water scarcity now affects more than 40% of the global population, a figure that is projected to increase as climate change brings about increased cases of drought and desertification.
More than 2.6 billion people have gained improved access to safe drinking water sources since 1990 and SDG 6 “Clean Water and Sanitation” aims to ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all.
In response, P&G announced it ended phosphate use from all retail and professional Fairy dishwasher tablets in 2017, significantly reducing the environmental footprint of its products in addition to improving cleaning performance.
P&G has joined the likes of Diageo and Heineken in championing SDG 6 and water use.
At an individual level, the Department for Food, the Environment and Rural Affairs (Defra) has proposed the introduction of a “personal water target” which would legally require individuals to keep their water consumption within a certain “budget”.
Matt Mace