Unilever pledges to improve access to sanitation worldwide

Unilever has pledged to help improve global access to sanitary toilet facilities worldwide as part of its Sustainable Living Plan.

The firm is aiming to help 25 million people gain improved access to toilets by 2020. As part of this, Domestos and the Unilever Foundation are working with Unicef to change sanitation behaviours and empower communities to become free of open defecation.

Meanwhile, the Domestos brand will also partner with social enterprise eKutir, to deliver market-based models that enable entrepreneurs to set up local sanitation businesses in rural areas, while running school programmes with local charities to improve facilities and education.

An estimated 2.5 billion people currently live without access to adequate sanitation, a statistic that Unilever wants to help to change.

Paul Polman, Unilever's chief executive officer, said: "With our portfolio of health and hygiene brands, our understanding of consumers' needs and our global reach, we are uniquely placed to help improve people's lives."

This comes after the organisation formed an alliance with the British government last month to create jobs and improve water access and sanitation in developing nations, while fostering sustainable supply chains.