Carlson Establishes Partnership with Clean the World

MINNEAPOLIS, Nov. 15, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Carlson, a global hospitality and travel company,  today announced an agreement between Carlson Hotels and Clean the World Global LLC, a social enterprise committed to saving lives and protecting our planet, to collect and recycle hotel soaps, shampoos, conditioners, lotions and gels to help fight the global spread of preventable diseases.

Clean the World presently works with 19 Carlson affiliated hotels that have contributed more than 8,060 lbs. of soap (nearly 43,000 soap bars). The donated soap provides 8,600 children with enough soap for an entire month.

The agreement, part of Carlson's Responsible Business program, encompasses 607 hotels in North America and represents a significant new corporate partnership for Clean the World, which presently has hospitality partnerships in place with more than 1,200 hotel properties throughout North America.

Each day 9,000 children around the world die from diseases such as acute respiratory illness and diarrheal diseases that can be prevented by washing with bar soap. Clean the World has a mission to put soap in the hands of people who need it most to improve hygiene and sanitation conditions to lessen the impact of disease and promote better hygiene and living conditions worldwide.

"We have a tremendous opportunity and responsibility to lessen the burden of children and families around the world who are struggling with proper hygiene," says Beathe-Jeanette Lunde, executive vice president, People Development, Safety and Security, and Responsible Business, Carlson. "By partnering with Clean the World to collect our soaps and bottled amenities, we truly have a chance to leverage our resources to improve hygiene and sanitation in disadvantaged communities. It's the responsible thing to do."

Clean the World is the largest global recycler of hotel amenities, and in just two years of operation has distributed more than 9 million bars of soap to children and families in the United States, Canada and more than 45 countries worldwide. While doing so, the organization has also fulfilled a valuable environmental mission by diverting an estimated 600 tons of hotel waste from polluting landfills in the U.S. and Canada.

"Carlson has signaled its commitment to sustainability and social responsibility by joining our global hygiene revolution," says Shawn Seipler, CEO and co-founder of Clean the World. "This corporate partnership will allow individual Carlson   hotel brands and properties in North America to rally around our mission to save lives with soap, and guests can be confident that their amenities, once collected, are part of a lifesaving effort to stop the spread of preventable diseases."

About Carlson

Carlson is a global hospitality and travel company headquartered in Minneapolis, Minn. Carlson encompasses 1,067 hotels, including Radisson®, Country Inns & Suites By Carlson(SM), Park Inn by Radisson and Park Plaza®; more than 900 T.G.I. Friday's® restaurants; and a majority stake in Carlson Wagonlit Travel®, the global leader in business travel management. Carlson operates in more than 150 countries and its brands employ about 170,000 people.  http://www.carlson.com

About Clean the World Global LLC

Clean the World Global LLC is a social enterprise committed to saving lives and protecting our planet. It offers sustainable, socially responsible, and charitable programs and services to the international hospitality community. Clean the World Foundation Inc. is the 501 (c) (3) charitable arm of Clean the World Inc. As a private foundation Clean the World Foundation Inc. executes its mission of saving millions of lives around the globe by leading a global hygiene revolution to distribute recycled soap and hygiene products to children and families suffering from high death rates due to the top two killers of children worldwide – acute respiratory infection (pneumonia) and diarrheal diseases (cholera). For more information visit: www.cleantheworld.org. Text CLEAN to 20222 to donate $10 to help Clean the World.

SOURCE Carlson