Never before have we seen partnerships lead to so many new creative and lucrative experiences for consumers and the businesses themselves, especially where social media and crowdsourcing are involved.
Check out this report from our friends at Consumer Goods Technology (CGT):
Unilever and Walgreens have joined forces for the first time with Me to We to provide customers with a new way to make a positive impact on the world through everyday purchases. Give H2OPE to Others (#GiveH2OPE) enables Walgreens customers to make a life-changing difference for children and families in need. Beginning July 26 and through Sept. 30, purchases made at Walgreens of select Unilever TRESemmé, Suave or Caress products will help provide up to 15 million gallons of clean water to developing communities.
“Walgreens is dedicated to championing everyone’s right to be happy and healthy, and by offering programs that reflect this mission, we aim to make it easy for customers to take part and help make a difference,” said Walgreens President Alex Gourlay. “We look forward to supporting our customers as they participate in this meaningful cause to make a true impact.”
A unique collaboration between the consumer packaged goods, retail and non-profit sectors, Give H2OPE to Others leverages a sustainable international development model to help benefit families in rural areas. The program will engage consumers with brands they know and love while empowering them to make a difference through simple actions taken at home. The donation from one Unilever product purchase will supply five gallons of clean water to families and communities in rural Kenya.
The partnership ladders up to sustainability initiatives that are priorities for both Unilever and Walgreens, and is designed to help show that even the smallest steps can have a large-scale social impact – such as making purchase decisions that positively impact others. The donations triggered from these purchases will supply clean water that helps reduce the incidence of waterborne disease and illness, and will cut time spent collecting water – allowing students to spend more time in the classroom, and increase time spent towards productive activities like farming or working.
Launched in 2010, the Unilever Sustainable Living Plan sets out to double the size of Unilever’s business while reducing the company’s environmental footprint and increasing its positive social impact. The company continues to make progress against the rigorous goals set forth in the plan, including enhancing livelihoods for millions around the world. This partnership with a retailer is the first time that the Unilever Sustainable Living Plan has been realized through a direct impact tied to product purchase, encouraging consumers to join Unilever on their journey to pave the way for a bright future.
Consumers will not only be contributing to the cause through their purchases, but also can track the impact to see how their actions contribute to the donation goal. The Me to We ‘Track Your Impact’ function at www.walgreens.com/trackyourimpact allows customers to enter the UPC code for each product purchased at Walgreens to see the effect their small action has.
“Clean water isn’t a luxury; it’s a basic human right. The Give H2OPE to Others campaign will provide five gallons of clean water that can be used for drinking, basic household activities and drip irrigation for household gardens,” says Craig Kielburger, Co-Founder, Me to We. “This partnership will ultimately make a tremendous impact in the lives of so many families overseas, helping to break the cycle of poverty for many.”