New Brand 'The Right to Shower' Fights to Give Mobile Shower Services to More Than 550,000 Americans in Need

ENGLEWOOD CLIFFS, N.J., April 2, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Access to cleanliness is a basic human right¹, yet more than 550,000 Americans experiencing homelessness today have limited or no access to shower services. A simple shower can not only transform how you look and feel, but more importantly, restore dignity and hope. Founded with a mission to ensure everyone has access to a shower every day, The Right to Shower is a new line of ethically-made head-to-toe cleansers from Unilever. In the first year, 100% of profits will be donated to non-profit mobile shower organizations around the country to help provide access to showers for people living on the streets.

The Right to Shower was developed as a social enterprise, starting first with the social issue and utilizing Unilever resources to drive social change.  It is the result of the company's in-house entrepreneur approach, which is one of the ways Unilever builds and cultivates brands. With The Right to Shower's social enterprise model, people can feel good about the purchase they are making – with every shower they take, they are also helping us bring safe and legal showers for people that need them most.

"I grew up in New York City where one in every 128 people is currently living on the streets," said Laura Fruitman, Co-Founder and General Manager. "One very poignant interaction that stayed with me from childhood, and really inspired the mission behind The Right to Shower was with a man who told me that despite the city streets' constant flow of people, he often felt invisible and alone as people walked by, never acknowledging him. Never making eye contact. This moment really ignited my passion to help support and address issues faced by our unhoused neighbors, because no one deserves to feel invisible, without dignity, or 'othered.' This social impact work has a natural home at Unilever, a company founded on the mission of making cleanliness commonplace."

Our Impact
For those experiencing homelessness, not only is access to showers at times completely denied, but in many places alternatives like washing in public areas or restrooms are often unsafe or illegal. That's why The Right to Shower teamed up with Lava Mae, a non-profit organization that provides mobile hygiene to our unhoused neighbors. In 2019, 100% of the brand's profits will go to support mobile shower organizations around the country, including Lava Mae's Mobile Hygiene Service in San Francisco, Oakland and Los Angeles. The long-term goal is to build a nationwide network of providers delivering regular, safe, free hygiene and wellbeing services to all those experiencing housing instability.

"We know that hygiene alone won't solve the complex issue of homelessness, but access to a safe, clean shower can unlock hope, confidence and opportunity for those living on the streets," said Lava Mae Founder and CEO Doniece Sandoval. "It is incredibly moving to see the impact firsthand on our shower guests. Whether getting ready for work, a job interview, or just to refresh, they leave feeling happier, healthier and better able to persevere in seeking employment and housing."

Visit TheRightToShower.com to learn more about the real transformative power access to cleanliness can have.

Our Products
The Right to Shower is committed to making a positive impact in every step of our production process. That's why we've ensured that our head-to-toe cleansers are crafted to be fair, wholesome, and good for all. The multi-purpose cleansers come in both gel and bar formats, formulated for body, hair, face and hands. Crafted with a commitment to fairness and respect for both people and the environment, The Right to Shower is:

• Sulfate-, paraben- and alcohol-free
• 100% vegan and vegan action certified
• Packaged in 100% recycled packaging, with recyclable bottle and bar cartons
• Available in four fragrances that were created to trigger powerful emotions: Dignity, Hope, Joy and Strength
• Available at Amazon.com or your local Whole Foods ($11.99 for head to toe gel cleanser; $6.99 for head to toe bar cleanser)

Get Involved
When you help provide showers for those in need, you're helping restore dignity, confidence, and opportunity. Every bottle of The Right to Shower not only helps support mobile shower organizations like Lava Mae, but also Lava Mae's Replication Support program, which provides resources, guidance and hands-on help to individuals and organizations from across the country who are launching mobile showers in their communities. Our impact doesn't stop there. We recognize there is an unfortunate stigma around the issue of homelessness, making it easy for the public to ignore it and those it affects. We need to change that and bring the experiences of the unhoused out of the shadows. We invite you to visit TheRightToShower.com to hear real stories of the transformative power access to cleanliness can have, get involved with our partners, or start a new service to expand access to hygiene, dignity and opportunity to people experiencing homelessness in your community. Join us to help open a shower door for someone living on the streets.

The Right to Shower's purpose-driven work supports the larger Unilever Sustainable Living Plan. This strategy sets out to decouple Unilever's growth from its environmental footprint while increasing its positive social impact. The Company focuses on improving health and well-being for more than 1 billion people, reducing environmental impact by half, and enhancing livelihoods for millions of people around the world.

About Unilever United States, Inc.
Unilever is one of the world's leading suppliers of Beauty & Personal Care, Home Care, and Foods & Refreshment products with sales in over 190 countries and reaching 2.5 billion consumers a day. In the United States, the portfolio includes brand icons such as Axe, Ben & Jerry's, Breyers, Caress, Degree, Dollar Shave Club, Dove, Good Humor, Hellmann's, Klondike, Knorr, Lever 2000, Lipton, Love Beauty and Planet, Magnum, Nexxus, Noxzema, Pond's, Popsicle, Pure Leaf, Q-tips, Schmidt's Naturals, Seventh Generation, Simple, Sir Kensington's, St. Ives, Suave, Sundial Brands, Talenti Gelato & Sorbetto, TAZO, TIGI, TONI&GUY, TRESemmé and Vaseline. All of the preceding brand names are trademarks or registered trademarks of the Unilever Group of Companies.

Unilever's Sustainable Living Plan underpins the company's strategy and commits to:

Helping more than a billion people take action to improve their health and well-being by 2020.
Halving the environmental impact of our products by 2030.
Enhancing the livelihoods of millions of people by 2020.

For more information on Unilever U.S., its brands, and the Unilever Sustainable Living Plan visit: www.unileverusa.com

Impact Unit
We are excited to provide an "Impact Unit" widget to be inserted on articles covering this launch. The Impact Unit gives readers the ability to directly support non-profits working on the mission. It also benefits the publisher by driving reader engagement and time on the article. We hope you can include it using the instructions below.

Use the iframe below to embed Unilever's Right to Dignity Impact Unit. Inside the iframe you can adjust the width and height parameters to best fit your site.
<iframesrc="https://assets.publicgood.com/pgm/v1/iframe.html?partner_id=publicgood&target_type=campaign&target_id=c639d685-8b12-4663-aee4-56cacd9268ba&widget_type=card" width="100%" height="450" frameborder="0" scrolling="no"></iframe>

Public Good has alternative implementation options, please just email us at [email protected] or call 626.616.8055 to explore.

¹ United Nations Resolution 64/292 The Human Right to Water and Sanitation

Contact: Caleigh Burgess
[email protected]
917-344-9373

SOURCE The Right to Shower

Related Links

https://www.therighttoshower.com