RB launches Fight for Access Fund

RB is announcing the launch of the RB Fight for Access Fund to improve access to health, hygiene and nutrition for all. The Fund is, and will, be a demonstration of our Purpose and Fight in action- to protect, heal and nurture in the relentless pursuit of a cleaner, healthier world. RB commits to ringfence annual investment of 1% adjusted operating profit to address improved access by: ensuring high-quality products, providing education and information and driving availability.

We recognise that consumers and customers are facing shortages for some of our products with this unprecedented demand. We are doing all we can to meet demand while protecting the safety of our people and following local rules. In 2020, we are examining further investments to increase capacity of critical products such as disinfectants, sanitisers, soaps and surface cleaners.

RB has mobilised an additional £32 million as part of our RB Fight for Access Fund to address our collective fight against the spread of Covid-19. Our immediate focus is to address the stress faced by our consumers and communities where we operate, to break the chain of infection.

Examples of where we are deploying this money through our brands include:

• Working with governments, national medical associations and other stakeholders to deliver public service campaigns to educate consumers on handwashing and sanitation in - Bangladesh, Egypt, India, Indonesia, Kenya, Nigeria, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, South Africa, UAE, and Vietnam.
  
• Dettol- £6 million committed to the front-line health workers in Wuhan, China where we answered the urgent call for critical medical equipment. Mead Johnson Nutrition provided expectant new mothers with access to urgent maternal child care.
  
• Lysol supported the Centre for Disease Control Foundation in the USA with $2 million for various initiatives while continuing their support for hygiene education in schools.
  
• Napisan donation of €250,000 cash and product to a hospital and care centre in Milan, Italy.
  
• The Dettol India The Hand Wash Challenge campaign with TikTok reached 20 billion views in one week getting important behaviour change messages to young people on the necessity of hand washing. The record-breaking campaign is being rolled out across global markets.
  
• Jumia and RB have entered in to a partnership to help consumers in 8 countries across Africa access a steady supply of hygiene products such as Harpic, JIK and Dettol soap bars, disinfectants, and liquid hand wash. Jumia will be taking 0% commission and will reinvest the initial commission into discounts on the consumer price and Reckitt Benckiser is financing free shipping nationwide on all listed products.
  
• RB partnered with the Economist Intelligence Unit, along with other public health experts, to create the Myth Busting website in the fight against what the WHO has coined as the ‘Infodemic’ or the spread of misinformation. https://www.covid-19facts.com/ Covid-19facts.com is a platform for education which has reached millions of consumers with credible scientific information.

Additionally, today we are announcing the donation of critical protection equipment of 15 million N95 masks with a focus on pharmacists and health care workers. These will be distributed across our major markets. We will also donate 10 million units of Dettol Soap to the most vulnerable.  We continue to examine other initiatives to support through our brands because we believe we can use our voice as a force for good.

Laxman Narasimhan, RB’s Global CEO added, ‘We have a 200 year history of making a material difference to the lives of our consumers. Dettol was born 70 years ago in Hull, in Northern England, with the ambition of improving maternal health. Dettol took on the challenge in 1932 to reduce the incidence of sepsis by 50%. Lysol was first introduced in 1889 and has played a part in major public health challenges ever since. 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 organization and the relentless pursuit by my colleagues to make the world cleaner and healthier.’