Huggies donating diapers with Walgreens to alleviate need in US

17 Sep 2024 --- Huggies will donate a day’s worth of diapers to the National Diaper Bank Network, up to one million diapers, for every pack purchased at Walgreens online and in stores. According to the National Diaper Bank, one in two families in the US has trouble providing enough diapers to “help keep their child’s skin clean, dry and healthy.”

“Diapers are a basic necessity for every baby and toddler. National Diaper Bank Network is helping to change the lives of families, and through this partnership with Walgreens we will educate and encourage people to join us in supporting families,” says Anjula Shokar, senior brand manager for the US Huggies brand. 

Project Hug

Huggies and the National Diaper Bank Network, over their seven years together, have helped provide more than 200 million diapers to those in need through the Project Hug initiative.

“Walgreens is proud to team up with Huggies for the eighth consecutive year to drive access to, and awareness of diaper needs in our communities,” adds Alethia Jackson, SVP, ESG and chief DEI officer at Walgreens Boots Alliance. 

“Supporting the health of the communities we serve across America is integral to our purpose of creating more joyful lives through better health.”

The US is a country with a high diaper need.The National Diaper Bank Network reports that disposable diapers cost nearly US$1,000 per year per child. Harvard Public Health says that some families facing a diaper crisis can get help from federal assistance programs like the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program or Women, Infants and Children, but more families fall into a “precarious and often invisible gap.”

Huggies is the founding sponsor of the National Diaper Bank Network, a nationwide nonprofit dedicated to eliminating diaper need in America since 2011. The brand is also the national sponsor of the nonprofit Hand to Hold, which provides personalized support before, during and after NICU stays and infant loss.

For the sixth year in a row, Ethisphere has recognized Kimberly-Clark as one of the world’s most ethical companies and one of Fortune’s Most Innovative Companies in America in 2024. 

Kimberly-Clark previously partnered with Amazon to provide over 100,000 hygiene products to people experiencing poverty in the UK. During May and June, for every two purchases on Amazon of over 500 personal hygiene products, Unilever and Kimberly-Clark donated a third to the Multibank initiative and In Kind Direct.

Baby care

In recent baby care news, the UK government is banning the supply and sale of wet wipes containing plastic. Over time, wet wipes break down into microplastics, which can be harmful to human health and disrupt ecosystems. The government cites a survey showing an average of 20 wet wipes were found per 100 meters of beaches surveyed across the UK from 2015 to 2020.

Additionally, the EcoWaste Coalition warned against the continued sale of imported baby wipes containing preservatives banned by the Philippine FDA due to health risks.

By Sabine Waldeck