Better hygiene for better health
Improved hygiene is a central focus area in most of what SCA does. Every day, some 500 million people use our hygiene products. The more SCA grows, the more people have an opportunity for improved hygiene and well-being. SCA has the knowledge, solutions and ambitions to make a difference.
Simpler everyday life
SCA’s products and services cover all phases of life and benefit both individuals and society as a whole. We are happy to share our knowledge of hygiene, for example, by educating girls about menstruation, or nurses about incontinence.
SCA’s products are available in about 100 countries and we adapt our practices to meet specific market needs. Sometimes social entrepreneurship and new strategies are required in order to operate in certain markets. It is also possible to create a market in regions with more limited purchasing power. For example, SCA sells smaller packages with only one or two products in each package. These packages cost less, which increases the availability of hygiene and sanitation solutions since more people can afford them. This results in improved hygiene and health among new groups.
TARGET
We will make our knowledge about hygiene available to customers and consumers and ensure access to affordable, sustainable hygiene solutions to help them lead a healthy and dignified life. In markets in which we operate we will:
- Provide information on hygiene matters around our products and services.
- Strive to implement education programs for girls, women and caregivers.
- Strive to offer the best value for consumers, making hygiene solutions affordable to everyone.
OUTCOME 2016
SCA held the number one or two position in at least one hygiene product segment in about 90 countries.
Around 500 million people used SCA’s products every day.
The hygiene educational programs SCA conducts worldwide reached 2,000,000 people.
We offered a broad portfolio of products ranging from the premium segment to the economy segment.
Hygiene matters
Poor hygiene and sanitation constitute a barrier for the health, livelihood and development of millions of people. Through the Hygiene Matters initiative, we want to increase awareness of the importance of hygiene and its link to health and well-being and break the taboos about issues such as menstruation and hygiene.
Amina Mohammed, Deputy Secretary-General of the UN and chair of the WSSCC, was one of the keynote speakers when the Hygiene Matters report was launched in New York in September
SCA is helping to raise hygiene standards worldwide through its business model and hygiene solutions. Two integral components of the Hygiene Matters initiative are a global consumer survey and the Hygiene Matters report. The 2016/2017 report looked at the economic value of investing in hygiene, breaking taboos and stigma surrounding menstruation and incontinence, and also innovative solutions for the future. For the first time the report was created in collaboration with the WSSCC (Water Supply and Sanitation Collaborative Council). The WSSCC is the only UN body that works solely with sanitation and hygiene issues.
The report was launched in conjunction with the UN General Assembly Session in New York at the end of September. The main speaker was Amina Mohammed, chair of the WSSCC and Deputy Secretary-General of the United Nations, and Ewa Björling, former trade minister in Sweden and member of the SCA Board. An interesting debate was held with leading representatives from the UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network and CEO Water Mandate, among others.
In October, companies, authorities and non-governmental organizations gathered in New York to take part in the UN Foundation’s fourth annual dialog, convened by SCA, about the UN’s global agenda for sustainable development. The UN Foundation acts as a link to the UN – the organization gathers the business community and civil society to help the UN tackle some of the world’s most pressing issues, one of which is global health.
SCA’s representatives at the meeting included President and CEO Magnus Groth, who also gave the opening speech. He emphasized the key role the business community has to play, and that cooperation between the public and private sector is important if the world is to succeed in reaching the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals.
Several panel debates emphasized cooperation between sectors as a way to inspire decision-makers to move the world forward. SCA contributes through its extensive commitment to hygiene and health, and by sharing our insights with others.
SCA had also invited a number of customers to discuss how the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals will impact the business community, as a means to support its customers in their sustainability work.
SCA and Vinda strengthen elderly care in China
During the year, SCA, Vinda and the city council of Jiangmen signed an agreement that SCA and Vinda would help to improve elderly care in Jiangmen, in south-eastern China.
The world’s population is becoming older. Already today, persons aged 60 and above account for approximately 15% of China’s population of 1.4 billion. This development means elderly care is becoming a higher priority.
The first stage in the partnership will be a pilot program to train care providers to offer individualized incontinence care and to provide a good environment for elderly care in Jiangmen. The project includes establishment of a unit for developing relevant products for incontinence and elderly care.
Several senior representatives for SCA, Vinda and Jiangmen were present at the signing of the agreement. SCA’s CEO Magnus Groth spoke of how important correct healthcare and care is for individuals with incontinence. Jiangmen’s mayor Deng Weigen stressed the value of cooperation and that China can benefit from the experiences of others in order to make the most of its investments in elderly care. Representatives for Sweden’s Ministry of Health and Social Affairs were also present when the agreement was signed. They welcomed the cooperation and emphasized the importance of concrete health initiatives within the framework for the partnership between Sweden and China.
SCA operates in China’s market for hygiene products through its majority shareholding in the hygiene company Vinda. Jiangmen is located in the south-eastern Chinese province of Guangdong and has 4.5 million inhabitants.