In March of 2020 very little was known on what could help stop the spread of the Coronavirus, but the one thing that did work was

handwashing. While there was a pandemic taking root, there was also an infodemic on proper handwashing techniques. Governments

were struggling to help remote regions, but Colgate-Palmolive was uniquely positioned to activate globally to provide education and the

life-saving soaps people desperately needed.

We aimed to create a bar of soap designed to save lives; one that would not only help people get rid of germs on their hands, but also teach them proper handwashing techniques to slow the transmission of diseases.

Through strategic partnerships with The World Health Organization, Unicef, and shipping partner DHL, our life-saving soaps reached approximately 100 million people in remote regions across 28 countries. This initiative was intended to provide not only short-term, immediate support by giving soap to those in need during the pandemic, but also long-term hygiene education. In tandem, an awareness

campaign ran in 88 countries on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and the World Health Organization’s website. Through this campaign 1.5 billion people around the world were taught proper handwashing techniques that can keep them safe during the pandemic, and will last a lifetime.

In just 35 days, we activated five factories on three continents to create 26.5 million bars of soap designed to save lives. Each bar of soap was

embossed with messages to remind people to wash their hands for 40 seconds. And, each soap came wrapped with step-by-step instructions

from The World Health Organization on proper handwashing techniques.

With the help of the World Health Organization our soap helped 100 million people in remote areas in 28 countries. In tandem, we created

an awareness campaign to support the World Health Organization's #SafeHands Challenge. The campaign reached over 1.5 billion people

and ran in 88 countries on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and the World Health Organization’s website.

Our specially packaged soaps helped fight the pandemic, but also the infodemic on proper handwashing. 100 million people in remote

regions in 28 countries received the life-saving supplies they needed. And, our social campaign was translated into over 30 languages and

helped educate over 1.5 billion people on proper handwashing techniques. This resulted in Colgate-Palmolive being invited to the United

Nations forum on handwashing and hygiene, and has made them a core partner with Unicef on their global handwashing initiative.