Coronavirus: Health & hygiene company RB earmarks £32m to fight COVID-19, to distribute 10 million Dettol soaps
RB will be donating one million litres of its disinfectant products, including Lizol and Harpic toilet cleaners, to aid India's public health institutions, and health and sanitation workers
Leading consumer health and hygiene company RB, launched its RB Fight for Access Fund on Thursday, March 26, under which £32 million will be used to address the urgent collective fight against the spread of coronavirus.
RB says it will be involved in other activities to use the fund through its brands, including:
- Distribution of 10 million units of Dettol Soap to the vulnerable sections of the society.
- Donating one million litres of its disinfectant product, including Lizol and Harpic toilet cleaners, to aid India's public health institutions, and health and sanitation workers.
- Donating critical protection equipment - 3.5 million N95 masks to pharmacists and health-care workers.
Previously, RB, in partnership with Bikers for Good, launched #HandWashCorona, a public health initiative amidst the raging spread of COVID-19. Under this campaign, volunteers rode on the streets of Delhi-NCR and distributed 9 lakh Dettol soaps to underprivileged families.
Laxman Narasimhan, Global CEO of RB, said in a release:
"We have a 200-year history of making a material difference to the lives of our consumers. Our brands have a critical role to play in promoting hygiene and health in the fight against the current COVID-19 pandemic. I have been witness to heroic efforts across the company to live our Purpose and our Fight. I am in awe of the 'can do' attitude across the RB organisation and the relentless pursuit by my colleagues to make the world cleaner and healthier...We will continue to partner with the government on driving behaviour change and supporting the great partnership we have developed through the Dettol BSI campaign.”
RB says its Fight for Access Fund will be a demonstration of its purpose and fight in action -- to protect, heal and nurture in the pursuit of a cleaner, healthier world. Recognising that awareness and availability are the biggest challenges in the current scenarios, RB India says, it commenced various activities utilising the fund, by focusing on consumer engagements to share information and by distributing products.
The RB Fight for Access Fund will benefit from 50 percent funding from corporates, matched by funding from each of the three business units, Hygiene, Health & Nutrition. The maximum amount for any one initiative will be capped at £1 million. All programmes will be independently measured and captured on Goodera, the central platform and repository of all the initiatives RB has globally.
(Edited by Javed Gaihlot)