Before families turn to food banks, they are already struggling with the hidden crisis of hygiene poverty. Today, in the UK alone, 1.1 million children are living in hygiene poverty. As a parent, it breaks my heart to know this is day-to-day life for so many young people across the country.
Research from charity In Kind Direct shows that four children in every British classroom are living in hygiene poverty. More than one in five children (21%) don’t play with others due to embarrassment, and 15% have had to share products such as toothbrushes with family members.
In addition, one in 10 children have missed school altogether because they lacked essentials like clean clothes or period products. When families can’t afford basic hygiene essentials, the ripple effects are profound: missed school days, social isolation, and deteriorating physical and emotional wellbeing.
And it’s not just children. Adults are affected, too, with 40% of people living in hygiene poverty currently in full-time work. Hygiene poverty cuts across age, employment, and background, showing that no community is immune.
The ripple effect of hygiene poverty
This week (6-12 October) marks National Hygiene Week, a timely moment to spotlight a crisis that is too often overlooked. The impact of hygiene poverty goes far beyond not being able to afford everyday essential products that many of us take for granted – it affects a child’s dignity, health, and opportunities to thrive. Access to hygiene is a basic human right, yet for many it remains out of reach.
We believe big businesses have a responsibility to act. Our people expect it of us. And if we want a healthier society, we must help to build it. I am urging brands in the retail and fmcg sectors to tackle hygiene poverty head-on. It’s not just a case of simple altruism – it creates a cycle of impact in which social purpose, community wellbeing, and business success reinforce one another.
In our most recent collaboration with In Kind Direct, key retailers and other leading consumer goods companies created a donation-friendly shopping experience. Customers were encouraged to buy two hygiene items, with a third donated to In Kind Direct. A simple, effective way of making giving a part of consumers’ everyday shop.
A practical start
Hygiene poverty affects all major stakeholders in our industry: customers, clients, colleagues and the communities we support. And as the makers, distributors, and sellers of the products some people can’t afford, businesses in the retail supply chain have a unique position to be part of the solution.
There are practical ways to start, such as raising money for hygiene poverty charities and aligning CSR and ESG commitments to a measurable goal, such as ending hygiene poverty by 2030. For its part, In Kind Direct is leading a coalition with The Hygiene Bank to help drive and shape the corporate world’s response to the hygiene poverty crisis.
Together, we can build a movement that challenges stigmas, drives change and ensures everyone has access to the basics. And by raising awareness and encouraging conversations centred in caring for others, we can help dismantle the barriers preventing people from getting the help they need.
Dan Howell, MD at Kimberly-Clark UK&I
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