Working with others
Both at local level and through global initiatives, we work with our partners to deliver programmes to improve health and hygiene practice and awareness.
Working with others to improve hygiene practices around the world
We work through partnerships with governments, non-profit organisations and community groups to find long-term solutions to health and hygiene challenges around the world. Examples of some of our most recent initiatives are featured here.
Promoting oral health
In 2008 we renewed our three-year partnership with the FDI World Dental Federation – which represents around 1 million dentists. The aim of our campaign is simple: getting children and their families to brush day and night.
Brushing twice daily with a fluoride toothpaste may be routine practice to some, but the reality is that for many people, both in the developed and the developing world, an oral health routine is not part of everyday activity. Research we carried out in China, France and India showed that people tend to over claim how often they brush by around 40%.
As part of awareness-raising, all our toothpaste packs carry essential oral health messages. Similar messages appear in our TV and print advertising. Our efforts are given added professional weight by the FDI, which has agreed to include its logo and supportive statements as part of our joint communications drive.
Stakeholder view: "Unilever and FDI share the same global goal to promote oral health by developing and implementing oral health initiatives, which are sustainable and appropriate." Dr Habib Benzian, World Dental Development and Health Promotion Director, FDI
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UNICEF
Our partnership with UNICEF, launched in 2004, aims to develop hygiene education and awareness initiatives for children, thus contributing to Millennium Development Goal 4 to reduce infant mortality.
Water & Sanitation for the Urban Poor
During 2008 — the International Year of Sanitation — we continued to work with Water & Sanitation for the Urban Poor (WSUP), a partnership of public and private sector organisations, to look at water, sanitation and hygiene issues in poor urban areas, particularly slums in developing and emerging countries. We have designed an approach to test whether improved water and sanitation conditions delivered in conjunction with a hygiene behaviour programme are better than infrastructure improvements alone.
The science of home hygiene
The International Scientific Forum on Home Hygiene (IFH) promotes the role of home hygiene in preventing infectious disease. This non-commercial foundation is funded by several organisations, including Unilever, and is guided by an independent scientific advisory board. It brings together scientists and healthcare professionals to better understand risk, promote further research and spread good practice.
Promoting good skin care
The Vaseline Skin Fund works to improve the lives of those affected by skin conditions. The Fund aims to benefit 3 million people worldwide by 2012, by providing better access to knowledge, advice, and support to those affected.
The Fund works in two ways to achieve this:
educating medical professionals to enable them to give their patients the latest advice on the prevention and effective treatment of skin conditions
sponsoring partner charities and non-profit organizations to provide information and support directly to those affected by skin conditions.
In 2008, the Fund supported projects such as the Eczema and Sensitive Skin Education programme, a website created in partnership with the National Eczema Association in the US. The site offers practical information on the care and treatment of eczema and sensitive skin.
The Fund is also sponsoring a Continuing Medical Education unit, accredited by the University of California, Irvine. The unit will present current, authoritative knowledge on skin care topics to dermatologists and other medical professionals.
