The Clorox Safe Water Project Helps Combat the Global Issue of Unsafe Drinking Water

USA - English

• Latin America - español

AUSTIN, Texas, Oct. 6, 2014 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Unsafe drinking water is a leading cause of illness, malnutrition and death for children under five worldwide[1]. In Peru the issue is especially pressing, where one in seven people don't have access to safe water. To help, The Clorox Company is expanding the efforts of The Safe Water Project, a public health program that provides public bleach dispensers and health education in rural Peru. Over the next five years, the Safe Water Project will provide 400,000 liters of safe drinking water daily to 25,000 Peruvians.

To raise awareness and additional donations, Clorox is launching a first-of-its-kind Twitter-powered water fountain at South by Southwest Eco (SXSW Eco). Attendees at the event – aimed to address today's most pressing sustainability issues – are encouraged to tweet with an event specific hashtag to dispense water onsite. Event participants, as well as anyone across the country, can help by tweeting with #safewaterproject. The Clorox Company will donate $1 for each person who tweets, enough to provide clean water for one Peruvian for more than four months, up to $20,000.

Bleach and Safe Water
Clorox® Bleach is a safe, powerful and cost-effective disinfecting agent that has, through the years, been used to safely treat water around the globe for everything from routine municipal water treatment and for public health issues like disaster relief. Clorox® Bleach kills over 99 percent of bacteria and viruses commonly found in untreated water, such as E. coli and cholera.

"Clorox Bleach is a simple solution of mostly water and salt that is one of the safest and most powerful disinfecting agents available," said Katie Keil, Associate Marketing Director for Clorox® Bleach. "Clorox has a long history of donating bleach in times of need and this effort continues that tradition by using bleach for public health."

How Clorox is Bringing Safer Water to Peru
The Safe Water Project leverages a successful and sustainable bleach dispenser model that has a strong, proven track record in other parts of the world. Bleach dispensers are filled with a diluted bleach solution and release a metered dose appropriate for a standard water-collection vessel.

"The Safe Water Project is the first time Clorox is leading an intervention to address the chronic problem of unsafe drinking water in underprivileged populations," said Alexis Limberakis, Director of Environmental Sustainability at The Clorox Company. "The goal of the project is to build an effective, scalable and sustainable model that local communities can adopt to improve the quality of their drinking water and reduce the rate of intestinal illness."

The Safe Water Project has been operating in three rural communities in northern Peru for a little over two years in partnership with local NGO Prisma. With the installation of community bleach dispensers and education on the importance of safe water and good health and hygiene practices, more than 60 percent of households are now treating the water they drink and use for food preparation and cooking.

Visit www.Clorox.com/TheSafeWaterProject to learn more.

The Clorox Company
The Clorox Company is a leading multinational manufacturer and marketer of consumer and professional products with approximately 8,200 employees worldwide and fiscal year 2014 sales of $5.6 billion. Clorox markets some of the most trusted and recognized consumer brand names, including its namesake bleach and cleaning products; Pine-Sol® cleaners; Liquid Plumr® clog removers; Poett® home care products;  Fresh Step® cat litter; Glad® bags, wraps and containers; Kingsford® charcoal; Hidden Valley® and KC Masterpiece® dressings and sauces; Brita® water-filtration products and Burt's Bees® natural personal care products. The company also markets brands for professional services, including Clorox Healthcare®, HealthLink®, Aplicare® and Dispatch® infection control products for the healthcare industry. More than 80 percent of the company's brands hold the No. 1 or No. 2 market share positions in their categories. Clorox's commitment to corporate responsibility includes making a positive difference in its communities. In fiscal year 2014, The Clorox Company and The Clorox Company Foundation contributed more than $16 million in combined cash grants, product donations, cause marketing and employee volunteerism. For more information, visit TheCloroxCompany.com.

Abbreviated Terms and Conditions for Twitter Donation
Open to legal residents of the 50 U.S. (including D.C.), 18 years old or older.  Between 10/2/14 and 3/31/15, Tweet a message on Twitter using the hashtag #SafeWaterProject or #proyectoaguasegura (limit 1 per Twitter account) and Clorox will donate $1 for the benefit of PRISMA (up to $20,000 total through Tides Foundation).  See the Program Terms: https://www.clorox.com/our-story/safe-water-project/. For details about Tides and PRISMA, visit http://www.tides.org/ and http://www.prisma.org.pe/  

[1] http://www.cdc.gov/healthywater/global/diarrhea-burden.html

Contacts:
Molly Steinkrauss
The Clorox Company
[email protected]
510-271-4946

Whitney Tritt
Ketchum
[email protected] 
202-835-8805

Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20141003/150297

SOURCE The Clorox Company