Speaking the Unspeakable: The Business Case for Embracing Taboos

By Jean-Laurent Ingles

Poo. The topic that no one wants to talk about, yet one we must face up to. One child dies of diseases related to poor sanitation every two minutes. One billion people practice open defecation. Two and a half billion people don’t have access to adequate sanitation. And because these issues make us uncomfortable, we aren’t doing enough to change things. Neither Millennium Development Goal 4 (to reduce under five child mortality by two-thirds) nor Millennium Development Goal 7 (to halve the proportion of the population without sustainable access to basic sanitation) will be met by the 2015 deadline. This simply cannot continue.

At Unilever, we believe in tackling taboos head-on and engaging consumers with important global issues through our brands. Why? Because a brand can bring an issue to life and make it accessible. Because a brand can make an issue relevant to consumers’ lives. Because a brand can entertain, intrigue and inform without turning people off.  But, most importantly, because a brand can take a taboo, turn it into a business opportunity, and in the process help address pressing social issues.

Our leading toilet hygiene brand Domestos is one example. With a long history of protecting families from harmful germs, Domestos is in the ideal position to tackle these sanitation issues head-on. Domestos and the Unilever Foundation have joined forces with UNICEF in a win-win partnership. Through Domestos, consumers are exposed to sanitation issues and empowered to make a difference by purchasing a specially marked bottle of Domestos, and Domestos contributes towards funding UNICEF’s global sanitation programs, educating those in need and creating open defecation free communities.

Domestos is also gaining commercially. For many, making the connection between business growth and social action is in itself a taboo, but quite simply business return is what motivates the private sector. When business revenue is growing, it is in everyone’s interest to continue following the same path; and in the case of Domestos, it can help to save lives in the process. This is at the heart of Unilever’s Sustainable Living Plan – to double the size of the business, while reducing its overall environmental impact and increasing its positive social impact. We need to talk about profit to make partnerships, such as that between Domestos and UNICEF, work to their full potential.

On Saturday Sept. 27, we announced our latest commitment in the Unilever Sustainable Living Plan, pledging to help 25 million people gain improved access to toilets by 2020. Our target for sanitation will sit alongside existing goals on providing access to safe and affordable drinking water, and education on the importance of handwashing with soap. This is more than corporate social responsibility. It’s about establishing a clear link between tackling development issues and our business ambitions. This is where the biggest opportunity lies for businesses, and where we can add greatest value.

Jean-Laurent Ingles is Global SVP Household Care for Unilever.