Companies unite to make global clean water impact through sale of select Unilever products at Walgreens
Press Release – DEERFIELD, Ill., August 03, 2016 – Walgreens and Unilever are again joining forces with social enterprise ME to WE to empower Walgreens customers to help make a life-changing difference. Customers can help provide developing communities in Africa with access to clean water through a simple store purchase and the program Give H2OPE to Others (#GiveH2OPE).
From July 31 through Aug. 27, 2016, a donation will be made for customers who purchase select Unilever TRESemmé®, Suave®, Caress® or AXE® products at participating Walgreens stores. This donation will help provide five gallons of clean water to a family in a developing community. In addition, customers purchasing two or more select Unilever products at Walgreens will help provide 15 gallons of clean water*. Through these purchases, Walgreens and Unilever, with the help of ME to WE – a social enterprise that creates socially conscious products and experiences that allow people to do good through their everyday choices – hope to provide the Kenyan village of Esinoni with access to clean water through the construction of a borehole, a 200-meter deep well.
“Walgreens today continues a long-standing commitment of meaningful global corporate citizenship focused on making an impact in the community, environment, workplace and marketplace,” said Alex Gourlay, co-chief operating officer for Walgreens Boots Alliance, Inc. “Our participation in Give H2OPE to Others for a second year reflects this mission of making it easy for our customers to take part and help make a difference around the world.”
Give H2OPE to Others was designed to show that even the smallest steps can have a large-scale social impact – including everyday purchases. The clean water supplied from these purchases will help reduce the incidence of waterborne disease and illness to families and communities in rural Kenya. It will also help to eliminate the 30 kilometers (or approximately 6 hours) per day women and children in the region typically travel to collect water – allowing children to spend more time in the classroom and giving women the opportunity to care for their children or work.
“At Unilever, we find brands that are integrating sustainable living into their core purpose are driving success,” said Todd Tillemans, corporate EVP, president customer development, Unilever. “Moving into the second year of this partnership is further proof that small actions, like making a simple purchase, can add up to a big difference. We are proud to help provide access to clean drinking water and believe that together we can create a bright future.”
Last year, Walgreens and Unilever helped donate more than 17.5 million gallons of clean water to the rural Kenyan village of Kipsongol. The donation was made through the construction of a borehole that helped give approximately 2,000 community members, including more than 800 children, access to 31,000 gallons of clean water every day. Providing access to this basic resource has had a ripple effect on the community, helping propel the village’s social and economic progress for a lifetime.
“Thanks to ME to WE’s partnership with Walgreens and Unilever, we’ve been able to make a tremendous impact in developing communities around the world by providing thousands of people with access to clean water,” said Craig Kielburger, co-founder of ME to WE. “Through Give H2OPE to Others, thousands of more lives will be changed, unlocking opportunities that will empower families to break the cycle of poverty.”
All ME to WE products come with a Track Your Impact code for buyers to track exactly where and how their purchase has made an impact in a partner community. Walgreens customers can learn more about the difference their purchases have made by entering the UPC code on the back of the each TRESemmé®, Suave®, Caress® or AXE® product package at www.walgreens.com/trackyourimpact.
For more information on the program, visit www.walgreens.com/trackyourimpact.
* Between 7/31/16 and 8/27/16, for every purchase of one Suave®, TRESemmé®, Axe® or Caress® product at Walgreens and Duane Reade, six cents (equal to 5 gallons) will be donated to ME to WE’s charitable partner, WE Charity, or for every purchase of two or more of the these products, eighteen cents (equal to 15 gallons) will be donated. Total donation up to $175,000. For more information about ME to WE or WE CharityME to WE, visit www.we.org. Purchases are not tax deductible. Not valid in Puerto Rico or the US Virgin Islands.
