ReThinking Toilets: Breaking the "Yuck" Factor – Part 1/3

This week at the occasion of World Water Week event in Stockholm, I had the opportunity to discuss Firmenich’s commitment to tackling today’s sanitation crisis by making safe toilets save lives.

Everybody, whether they are rich or poor, likes a clean and hygienic toilet that smells nice. Good smell is not a luxury.

When we celebrated World Toilet Day back in 2012 for the first time we heard a few laughs here and there, and we saw a few smiles in the corridors. But we were convinced that scent played a central role in encouraging the use of safe toilets and we were committed to being part of the solution.

When the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF) started its Reinvent the Toilet Challenge, they immediately realized the central impact of smell. Positive smell offers a paradigm for change.

That’s why we entered a research partnership together that led us to develop breakthrough technologies that effectively counter malodor.

Out in the field, our scientists identified the main molecules responsible for malodor across India and Africa. By getting their hands dirty, our teams cracked the malodor code and broke the taboo for our industry!

To hear about this directly from Bill Gates, I encourage you to watch his "Smell of Success" video below. 

Now, our scientists are actively working with our customers to integrate our technologies into affordable and biodegradable solutions for the populations most in need.

Five years after our partnership began, we have finally broken the taboo. We broke the “yuck” factor. This is why I am so proud to be engaging with everyone at World Water Week.

Working together we can preserve water while increasing hygiene and sanitation for all!

Stay tuned for more on this during World Water Week!