Empowering the next generation to protect our planet
With WE Charity and ME to WE, Clorox is helping young Canadians create sustainable solutions to environmental issues
Plastic pollution is a huge issue. Canadians might think our waterways are immune to the problem, but the facts point to a sobering truth: nearly 22 million pounds of plastic waste enter the Great Lakes each year, according to research from the Rochester Institute of Technology. Plastic water bottles are the number one contributor.
“Experts believe that by the year 2050 there will be more plastic in the ocean than fish,” says Matt Kohler, Vice President, Marketing at The Clorox Company of
Canada. “This is the world we are creating for our children. The problem is dire, and the time to act is now.”
Students across Canada have responded to this urgent call to action. Through WE Schools service-learning educational programs, they are applying their learning to tackle real-world issues. In support of their environmental efforts, Clorox and WE created the Brita Young Innovator Plastic Free Fund. The program offers a pool of $20,000 in grants to fund students who are developing innovative solutions to today’s plastic problem, paving the way for a greener future.
Access to clean water is another pressing issue affecting millions around the world. Since 2016, Brita has partnered with ME to WE with a mission to help children and families in Kenya gain access to sustainable clean water sources. Proceeds from specially marked Brita products have gone toward this mission, empowering Canadians to give back with each purchase. The impact? Enough funds were generated to cover the cost of providing over 55,400 people in Kenya with access to clean water for one full year.
For over a century, Clorox has been working to make everyday life better for hundreds of millions of people. Corporate responsibility is a cornerstone of their company. As a signatory of the United Nations Global Compact, the world’s largest corporate responsibility initiative, they have pledged to support 10 principles in the areas of human rights, labour, the environment and anti-corruption.
“But that was only the beginning,” Kohler says. “As part of our new IGNITE strategy, we’ve unveiled an ambitious set of environmental, social and governance (ESG) goals, each with specific targets.”
From publicly declaring the company’s intention to be a leader in environmental sustainability, to helping people promote their positive well-being through purposeful choices, each ESG goal is helping make the world a better place.
Along with Brita, Clorox is taking a stand for a more sustainable future with a focus on waste diversion through its Glad brand.
“The world is facing a massive landfill problem. For the sake of our planet, we must divert more into recycling and compost,” Kohler says.
That’s why, as early as 2005, Glad began sponsoring major clean-ups of waste across Canada. This led to a partnership with the City of Toronto’s “Clean Toronto Together” campaign in 2010, which has now grown into a nationwide effort. Last year, the campaign connected 24 communities and 305,000 participants from Halifax to Vancouver. Together, they collected more than 700 tonnes of litter, equivalent to the weight of 400 cars.
To further their efforts against waste diversion, Glad is partnering with WE Charity through the WE Schools program. In 2020, they will be sponsoring a Youth Talk that provides students with educational resources on waste diversion and action planning sessions. This program will provide young Canadians with the support and knowledge they need to tackle the issue of waste in their local communities.
“Kids have an incredible impact on their parents’ behaviour,” Kohler says. “Together, we can unleash that passion, enthusiasm and desire to make a difference with thousands of children across Canada and clean up this beautiful country we call home.”