ECJ EUROPEAN Cleaning Journal

According to the inaugural 2024 Tork Insight Survey by Essity, many individuals are not comfortable using a public restroom and that negatively impacts their wellbeing. It keeps them from participating in social activities - including enjoying food and drink in public - staying at a job and generally feeling safe.

Barriers to being comfortable in public washrooms challenge people every day; some barriers are visible, others are not. Washroom users can be challenged by a wide range of factors including the inability to access soap and hand towel dispensers, loud noises, lack of privacy or cleanliness. Key findings include:

• When people are unable to wash their hands, they don't feel safe - 73 per cent of respondents feel unsafe if they can't wash their hands

•Poor washroom experience impacts business - 73 per cent say a bad washroom experience in a restaurant will impact their willingness to return. And 38 per cent of people avoid eating or drinking to limit their use of public washrooms

• Poor washrooms are a reason people leave their jobs - one in six respondents (17 per cent) said they left a job because of a poor washroom

• Respondents consider access to public washrooms when planning social events or travel - 26 per cent of respondents avoided a social event because of concerns about access to public washrooms. And 44 per cent plan their travel route to ensure access to washroom.

"Comfortable access to public washrooms isn't just about convenience, it's a public health need," said Jenny Logenius, global brand manager, Essity. "Washrooms are the busiest room in a facility and our research reaffirms that washrooms often aren't equipped to accommodate the constantly changing capabilities of the population at large.

"This influences an individual's ability to participate in social gatherings and work, their inclination to buy food or drink or dine at a restaurant and even what routes they choose to travel. Alongside experts and stakeholders, we aim to explore and solve the ways that hygiene in washrooms can be more comfortable for the majority of users."

So Tork has made a global commitment to advancing inclusive hygiene in public washrooms by exploring how they can be made more comfortable for both users and cleaning staff, regardless of health conditions, abilities, neuro-diversities, general hygiene concerns or stage of life.

The company first announced its plan during theReuters Responsible Business USA 2024 event in New York City. Then the company hosted an inclusive hygiene-focused roundtable in Washington with the Global Handwashing Partnership over the summer. By convening experts and facilitating discussion, the event aimed to elevate the conversation around inclusive hygiene in public washrooms and identify areas for change.

Experts and leading voices representing public and private organisations met to review the new data, share expertise and work toward a greater understanding of the issues.

For more information visit: tork.co.uk/inclusivehygiene