It’s hard to imagine that there are people in the UK too poor to have adequate hygiene. But research from UK charity, The Hygiene Bank, has found that almost 8% of the UK population is currently experiencing hygiene poverty. An estimated 5.3 million adults nationwide have to choose between buying food or basic hygiene products₂, such as soap, sanitary products, and deodorant. And The Hygiene Bank estimates that around 20 million people still haven’t heard of the issue.
Saatchi & Saatchi has teamed up with The Hygiene Bank to launch a new campaign highlighting the problem. Central to the campaign is The Edible Soap, a symbolic creative concept made for real to make a real impact, and designed to raise awareness of the fundamental challenges millions face between eating and buying toiletries.
The Edible Soap was developed in collaboration with ethical beauty brand, The Good Wash, and is made with organic cacao butter, oat flour, avocado oil, tomato sauce, toast flavouring, bean flavouring, paprika, and Celtic sea salt, emulating a baked bean flavour.
The campaign combines social content and talent partnerships with renowned hospitality personalities including Chantelle Nicholson, Max Coen, Melissa Thompson, Ruben Dawnay, Ana Da Costa, Chris Leach, Jay Mojaria, and Max Venning, each creating recipes with The Edible Soap. Concept development and talent management were led by SALT.
The initiative will drive fundraising through the Good Wash website where people can buy virtual bars of the soap for a £15 donation. All proceeds from the sales will support The Hygiene Bank’s continued initiatives, helping it to provide free hygiene products to individuals and families who would otherwise go without.
Ruth Brock, CEO of The Hygiene Bank, stated,“With public support, we can work toward a future where everyone has access to the hygiene essentials needed for health, hope, and opportunity. This campaign has given us a valuable platform to tell people about an issue they weren’t aware of and amplify our call for immediate policy action by urging the government to remove VAT from soap, making it more accessible to all.”
The Hygiene Bank was launched on Thursday, March 27, 2024. Saatchi & Saatchi has backed the charity to highlight the significance of hygiene poverty in the UK and raise awareness about The Hygiene Bank’s services, which support people across the country. In addition to providing essential toiletries, the charity advocates for broader access to basic hygiene products and urges the government to remove the 20% VAT on soap.
Credits
Client: The Hygiene Bank
Creative Agency: Saatchi & Saatchi UK
CCO: Franki Goodwin
Executive Creative Director: Will John
Senior Creative: Henrik Ridderheim
Creatives: Olivia Weston, Emily Downing
Executive Design Director: Nathan Crawford
Design Director: Francisco Fernandes
Design Lead: Kevin Hipke
Designer: Weronika Szklarek
Planning Director: Mathieu Abet
Business Lead: Rania Kouros
Account Director: Julia Leibetseder
Executive Producer: Adam Walker
Product Development & Production: The Goodwash Company
Partner for Concept & Content Development: Salt
Print Production: Pressision
Retouch & Artwork: Prodigious London
