Unilever Lifebuoy Premieres Unique Film to Launch Pioneering Health Campaign

London, Rotterdam, – Unilever’s health soap, Lifebuoy, has launched the latest initiative in its quest to help reduce the deaths of two million children before their fifth birthday from preventable diseases like diarrhoea and pneumonia.

Over the past 10 years, Lifebuoy has taken its handwashing behaviour change programmes to millions of people across the world, and now it is aiming to change the handwashing behaviour of a whole village in central India – Thesgora, a village with one of the highest rates of diarrhoea. This initiative supports Unilever’s goal to deliver on one of its commitment under its Sustainable Living Plan – to help more than one billion people take action to improve their health and well-being.

The launch of the campaign is being marked with a groundbreaking new three-minute film that provides a unique perspective on the individual tragedy of losing a child before their 5th birthday, and encourages people around the world to pledge their support: www.youtube.com/helpachildreach5(Link opens in a new window)

Unilever CEO Paul Polman said:”The big issues the world is facing require new approaches and new partnerships. It is unacceptable that two million children die every year from infectious diseases when we have easy and cheap lifesaving solutions, such as handwashing with soap, readily available. Responsible businesses must take a more active leadership role and this new initiative is an example of how Unilever is assuming such a role through one of its iconic brands. Lifebuoy is living proof that putting a social mission at the heart of a brand can both deliver on the mission itself and deliver sustainable growth.”

Samir Singh, Global Brand VP, Lifebuoy, “Our goal is to change the handwashing behaviours of a billion people by 2015. We wanted to tell the world the Lifebuoy story in a deeply emotional way. Our brief was to translate the statistic of ‘two million children still die in the world before the age of five due to preventable infections like diarrhoea and pneumonia’ into something real, personal and powerful. And through this film, that’s just what’s been done.”

Lifebuoy’s programme in Thesgora will target school children, new mothers, neo-natal nurses and community groups, encouraging the practice of handwashing with soap at key occasions: before eating, after using the toilet and when washing. The programme aims to have a significant impact on the health of the community and consequently the futures of the children in the village, resulting in more children reaching their fifth birthday.

This intervention also aims to contribute to Millennium Development Goal 4 (MDG 4) - to reduce the mortality of children under five by two-thirds by 2015. Handwashing with soap is one of the most effective and low cost ways to prevent diseases like pneumonia and diarrhoea, which stop 2.1 million children every year reaching their fifth birthday[i]. Put simply, this modest but lifesaving act could help a lot more children reach the age of five.

ENDS
Safe harbour:

This announcement may contain forward-looking statements, including ’forward-looking statements’ within the meaning of the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Words such as ’will’, ’aim’, ’expects’, ’anticipates’, ’intends’, ’believes’, ’vision’, or the negative of these terms and other similar expressions of future performance or results, and their negatives, are intended to identify such forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are based upon current expectations and assumptions regarding anticipated developments and other factors affecting the Group. They are not historical facts, nor are they guarantees of future performance.

Because these forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties, there are important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements. Among other risks and uncertainties, the material or principal factors which could cause actual results to differ materially are; Unilever’s global brands not meeting consumer preferences; increasing competitive pressures; Unilever’s investment choices in its portfolio management; finding sustainable solutions to support long-term growth; customer relationships; the recruitment and retention of talented employees; disruptions in our supply chain; the cost of raw materials and commodities; secure and reliable IT infrastructure; successful execution of acquisitions, divestitures and business transformation projects; economic and political risks and national disasters; the sovereign debt crisis in Europe; financial risks; and failure to meet high product safety and ethical standards; managing regulatory, tax and legal matters. Further details of potential risks and uncertainties affecting the Group are described in the Group’s filings with the London Stock Exchange, Euronext Amsterdam and the US Securities and Exchange Commission, including the Group’s Annual Report on Form 20-F for the year ended 31 December 2011 and the Annual Report and Accounts 2011. These forward-looking statements speak only as of the date of this announcement. Except as required by any applicable law or regulation, the Group expressly disclaims any obligation or undertaking to release publicly any updates or revisions to any forward-looking statements contained herein to reflect any change in the Group’s expectations with regard thereto or any change in events, conditions or circumstances on which any such statement is based.