Hilton Brands to Recycle 1 Million Bars of Soap by Global Handwashing Day

MCLEAN, Va. - Hilton’s (NYSE: HLT) Hilton Garden Inn, Hampton by Hilton and All Suites brands are launching the Clean the World Challenge in partnership with Clean the World, a global health leader dedicated to sustainability and water, sanitization and health. Embassy Suites by Hilton, Hilton Garden Inn, Hampton by Hilton, Homewood Suites by Hilton and Home2 Suites by Hilton will challenge hotel owners and Team Members to collect bars of soap left behind by guests to be recycled into 1 million bars of new soap by Global Handwashing Day (October 15) for Clean the World to distribute to communities in need.   

“As one of the world’s most hospitable companies, we are always looking for ways to have a positive impact in the communities where we develop and serve millions of guests each year,” said Bill Duncan, global head, All Suites and Focused Service category, Hilton. “Our hotels were among the first in the industry to participate in soap recycling and have remained leaders in the global hygiene revolution, making the world a more hospitable place by empowering our Team Members and guests to eradicate preventable hygiene-related illnesses.” 

Clean the World’s mission aligns with Hilton’s Travel with Purpose initiative, the company’s corporate responsibility strategy. By 2030, Hilton commits to cut its environmental footprint in half to help protect the planet and double its social impact investment to drive positive change in communities. As part of these goals, Hilton has committed to send zero soap to landfill in addition to Hilton’s brand standards for Embassy Suites by Hilton, Hilton Garden Inn, Hampton by Hilton, Homewood Suites by Hilton and Home2 Suites by Hilton brands across the U.S., Canada, Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic.

“Hilton understands the urgent need for recycled soap donation and hygiene education in communities all over the world, and they have been a great partner of ours for many years,” said Shawn Seipler, founder and chief executive officer, Clean the World. “As many as 2.3 billion people around the world lack basic sanitation and over 3,500 children die from preventable hygiene-related illnesses every day. This challenge will make a meaningful difference for countless people in need.” 

Through its soap recycling partnership with Clean the World, Hilton has contributed to the distribution of more than 7.6 million bars of recycled soap, resulting in more than 2 million pounds of soap and amenity bottles being diverted from landfills. The discarded soap is crushed, sanitized and cut into new soap bars. Bathroom amenity bottles are repurposed for hygiene kits or recycled. By recycling these products, Clean the World provides soap to those in need, ultimately preventing diseases and reducing mortality rates around the world.

Clean the World was founded in 2009 with a mission to save lives while simultaneously protecting the environment by providing recycled soap and other hygienic products to families in need. Over the last decade, the organization has contributed toward a 60 percent reduction in the death rate of children under the age of five dying due to hygiene-related illnesses. Hilton has worked with Clean the World since its launch to help overcome this epidemic in various countries, as well as in times of natural disasters.

For more information on the Clean the World Challenge, visit newsroom.hilton.com/hiltoncleanstheworld. To learn more about Hilton's Travel with Purpose corporate responsibility strategy, visit cr.hilton.com, and for more on Clean the World, visit cleantheworld.org.

About Travel with Purpose

Travel with Purpose is Hilton’s corporate responsibility strategy to redefine and advance sustainable travel globally. By 2030, we plan to double our social impact investment and cut our environmental footprint by half. We track, analyze and report our environmental and social impact at each of Hilton’s more than 5,600 hotels through LightStay, our award-winning performance measurement system. Travel with Purpose capitalizes on Hilton’s global scale to catalyze local economic growth; promote human rights; invest in people and local communities; and preserve our planet by reducing our impact on natural resources. Our strategy aligns with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. Visit cr.hilton.com to learn more. 

About Clean the World

Clean the World is a social enterprise dedicated to the mission of saving millions of lives around the world while simultaneously diverting hotel waste from landfills. Clean the World operates soap recycling centers in Orlando, Las Vegas, Canada, Hong Kong, Netherlands, and Punta Cana and leads a "Global Hygiene Revolution" to distribute recycled soap and hygiene products from more than 8,000 hotel and resort partners. The organization benefits children and families in countries with a high pre-adolescent death rate due to acute respiratory infection (pneumonia) and diarrheal diseases (cholera) – which are two of the top killers of children under the age of five. Since 2009, Clean the World’s foundation has distributed more than 48 million bars of soap in 127 countries and has served over 10 million individuals through its soap distribution and WASH (water, sanitization, and hygiene) education programs. More information: CleantheWorld.org.