Method has forged a multi-year founding partnership with the Simply The Basics, an internationally reaching hygiene bank, to form the Hygiene Bank Association. The goal is to help close the hygiene access gap and make hygiene essentials, like shampoo, soap and deodorant more accessible to all. 

 

Today, there are an estimated 50 million Americans affected by hygiene insecurity and no existing public programs that support hygiene products.

 

Method says it supports Simply The Basic's mission to give those in need a choice of high-quality hygiene products and in the scalable programs and tools they've pioneered to drive wide-reaching and long-term impact. Method notes that Simply the Basics has led the way in demonstrating the important role that hygiene plays in physical and mental health and helping people achieve their full potential. According to the brand, 92% of recipients of Simply the Basics' essential hygiene products reported an improvement in their sense of wellness and dignity.

 

Simply the Basics brought Method on as an exclusive, founding partner, to launch the Hygiene Bank Association (HBA), the first system in the world to connect existing hygiene service providers to one another and to establish quality control standards for hygiene distribution. Qualified organizations that provide hygiene services, such as local food banks, libraries and non-profits, can become members of the HBA, gaining access to tools and resources, such as training on hygiene inequity, and connections needed to further their goals, improve operations, and make a long-term impact on public health. 

 

“Simply the Basics has been working since 2016 to make hygiene care equitable and accessible to everyone, regardless of their income or housing status. We believe that everyone has a right to their most basic human needs, and hygiene is an essential need for health and wellness,” said Meghan Freebeck, CEO and founder of Simply the Basics. “We are proud and excited to have the support of method in launching the Hygiene Bank Association, which will establish the very first quality control standards in the country for hygiene distribution. We look forward to the opportunity for advancements in public health and the strengthening of other hygiene services across the globe that will be made through the Hygiene Bank Association.”

Method and Simply the Basics invite consumers to get involved by visiting Simply the Basics' newly launched Hygiene Locator tool, which helps users find a nearby hygiene bank to volunteer and donate. The tool also aids those in need to find hygiene essentials, like specific locations with showers or access to hygiene products, more efficiently and consistently. It also offers a variety of features to search by filtering by hygiene item type or most needed item, location or zip code, appointment or drop-in requirements, language availability and more.

 

To further raise awareness around this unspoken problem, Method worked with Simply the Basics to share real human stories from those who have experienced hygiene insecurity and nonprofit partners who work closely with this community featured on method's website. In addition, Method developed an interactive educational game that challenges users to “burst their bubble” on their hygiene insecurity knowledge. Users are rewarded for educating themselves with a promo code to use on methodproducts.com.

 

Method, which is part of SC Johnson, is using its portfolio of personal and home care products that address the full spectrum of hygiene and cleaning needs by providing quarterly product support to Simply the Basics' grant program, which aids newly formed and growing Hygiene Bank Association Members. The Simply the Basics' HBA will award grants to qualifying hygiene banks across the country, primarily focusing on areas with limited access to hygiene or other social services and providing support to early-stage hygiene banks that would otherwise have limited resourcing.

 

In addition to its support for Simply the Basics' HBA, Method has also established a long-term partnership with an UK-based organization, The Hygiene Bank, as its first official gold tier partner. Method says it is championing wellbeing and inclusivity globally as it joins forces with these organizations on their mission to end hygiene insecurity.