Managing Corporate Social Responsibility Unilevers Handwashing Campaign

Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) is a management concept whereby companies integrate social and
environmental concerns in their business operations and interactions with their stakeholders. CSR is widely
understood as a business practice which attempts to balance the economic, social and environmental
imperatives and simultaneously address the stakeholders expectations.1

Handwashing Campaign

Hindustan Unilever Limited (HUL) is India's largest fast moving consumer goods company based in Mumbai,
Maharashtra. HUL is a subsidiary of Unilever, one of the worlds leading suppliers of fast moving consumer
goods with strong presence in more than 100 countries across the globe. Unilever has 67.25% shareholding in
HUL.2

For any company thinking over a CSR program, the best resource is often the product or service that made it a
success. One of the leading examples is Lifebuoy, a brand of soap that dates back to the 19th century and is
marketed by Unilever. Over the years Lifebuoys reach has gone global, and it is now manufactured in India for
Unilevers Asian market. For several years running, Indias Unilever and Lifebuoy employees have been
actively involved in implementing one of the countrys most successful social responsibility programs,
Unilevers Handwashing Campaign. The brilliance of this ongoing campaign is in its simplicity: teaching a task
that takes about 20 seconds.3 Washing ones hands with soap is one of the best preventive and cost effective
1

United Nations Industrial Development Organization. (n.d.). What is CSR? Retrieved from http://www.unido.org/en/what-we-

do/trade/csr/what-is-csr.html on 31 July 2015

2

Hindustan Unilever Limited. (n.d.). INTRODUCTION TO HUL. Retrieved from http://www.hul.co.in/aboutus/introductiontohul/ on

30 July 2015
3

Kaye, L. (2015, April 22). Unilevers Hand washing Campaign Goes beyond CSR and Saves Lives. Retrieved from

http://www.triplepundit.com/special/disrupting-short-termism/unilevers-handwashing-campaign-goes-beyond-csr-and-saves-lives/ on
31 July 2015

measures to reduce the spread of germs that can cause Diarrhea and other illnesses. Data from the World Health
Organization (WHO) indicates that every year Diarrhea and Pneumonia kills more than 2 million children under
the age of 5.4 Diarrhea and respiratory infections are also the number one cause for child deaths in India. Hand
washing with soap, particularly after contact with excreta, can reduce diarrheal diseases by over 40 per cent and
respiratory infections by 30 per cent. 5
Lifebuoys first handwashing programs started in 2009. The company currently runs two initiatives. First, HUL
works with schools by targeting schoolchildren through child-friendly materials including comics, songs, games
and rewards to encourage children to start and sustain regimented handwashing behavior. Second, the company
focuses on new mothers, because 42 percent of deaths that strike children under the age of 5 in India occur
during the first 28 days of life.3

Effectiveness of the campaign

Through the Lifebuoy handwashing behavior change initiatives, HUL promotes the benefits of handwashing
with soap at key times among people and encourage them to sustain good handwashing behavior. The company
has reached out to 63 million people in India since 2010 through the handwashing programmes.
Help a child reach 56

United Nations Childrens Fund. (2012, June). Pneumonia and diarrhoea Tackling the deadliest diseases for the worlds poorest

children. Retrieved from http://www.unicef.org/eapro/Pneumonia_and_Diarrhoea_Report_2012.pdf on 31 July 2015

5

UNICEF India. (n.d.). Water, Environment and Sanitation. Retrieved from http://unicef.in/Story/1125/Water--Environment-and-

Sanitation on 31 July 2015

6

Hindustan Unilever Limited. (n.d.). Health & Hygiene. Retrieved from http://www.hul.co.in/sustainable-living-2015/india-

sustainability-initiatives/health-and-hygiene/ on 1-Aug-15

The Help a Child Reach 5 handwashing campaign started in 2013 in Thesgora in Madhya Pradesh which has
amongst the highest rates of diarrhea in India. A study by Nielsen conducted after this intervention revealed that
mothers reported a reduction of diarrhea in Thesgora from 36% to 5% aided by a significant adoption of
handwashing habit among mothers and children at key times. The successful pilot last year led to an addition of
six more villages from Chhindwara district in Madhya Pradesh under the programme.
Other programmes such as Bihar Handwashing Project and Urban School Contact Programme are aimed at
promoting handwashing behavior change among children by teaching children the benefits of washing hands at
key times every day (such as before eating and after using the toilet). HUL also celebrates Global
Handwashing Day (GHD) on 15 October to create awareness about handwashing among the school children
across India. The programme highlights include storytelling, interactive games and taking a pledge to drive the
importance of handwashing five key times a day.
With over 1,500 employees volunteering at schools across India, Unilevers work in this country of 1.3 billion
people is arguably the largest corporate social responsibility program worldwide when considering the number
of people touched by this series of campaigns.3
Influencing behavior: affecting social norms & commitments7
Habits dont come over night and need to be practiced for a certain period of time before they become ingrained
in a daily routine. Unilevers health soap brand, Lifebuoy, is uniquely placed to address this gap and help
reposition hygiene habits as new norms, especially where a new habit can mean a matter of life and death. The
results are increasingly encouraging and HUL has seen double-digit growth in soap consumption along with a
direct correlation with an increase of hand washing habits at crucial occasions in key countries. Lifebuoy

Sidibe, M. (2012, October 2). Saving 600,000 Lives a Year: What Will It Take? Retrieved from

http://www.csrwire.com/blog/posts/564-saving-600-000-lives-a-year-what-will-it-take on 7 July 2015

reaches over 55 countries including eight out of the 10 countries with the worst childhood mortality related to
diarrhea disease.

Discussion Questions:

1.

HUL is targeting rural India through this CSR initiative benefiting both the customers and company. To
which other product(of any company) can this strategy be applied? Explain why and how will you execute it?
2. Assume the handwashing campaign is successful, what should be the next ideal step of HUL in this business?
3. Assume you were the competitor of HUL and you are losing your market share to HUL. What would be your
plan of action ?
(Note:-1 Slide each question )