Tesco has launched a major product donation push with 17 hygiene brands as UK households continue to cut back on everyday essentials.
The supermarket is working with six major FMCG suppliers including Unilever, Essity, Haleon, Kimberly-Clark, Edgewell and P&G, on its latest “Buy 2, and we’ll donate 1” campaign, which will see hygiene, personal care and homecare products donated to communities across the UK.
The promotion, which is running for the sixth time, is live across Tesco stores, its website and app until 8 June.
It comes as new research from In Kind Direct, who partnered with Tesco on the campaign, found that 27 per cent of Britons have already sacrificed personal hygiene to save money, while a further 11 per cent have considered doing so.
The charity’s study of 2,000 UK adults also found that almost one in seven would cut spending on hygiene products first if their income was unexpectedly reduced, ahead of paying for bills, rent or mortgage costs and food.
More than a third of adults said cutting back on routines such as showering, grooming or doing laundry was a necessary short-term way to cope with financial hardship, while 29 per cent said it could be required over the long term.
Under Tesco’s campaign, shoppers buying any two nominated products will trigger a donation of one item to In Kind Direct, which will distribute the products through its network of more than 9,000 charitable organisations.
The charity said its network reaches more than 930,000 people each week, with donated items including shower gel, toilet paper, toothpaste, laundry detergent, razors, period products and nappies.
Brands taking part include Andrex, Aquafresh, Bodyform, Comfort, Corsodyl, Domestos, Dove, Kleenex, Pampers, Persil, Sensodyne, Simple, Sure, Surf, Tena, Vaseline and Wilkinson Sword.
Tesco category buying manager for beauty and personal care Tommy Maier said: “We’re proud to partner with In Kind Direct and suppliers to support local communities with hygiene essentials.
“This year, we’ve not only been able to increase the number of brands taking part in the promotion, but also the total number of hygiene products to further strengthen our support for those families who really need them.”
Since launching in 2022, the campaign has unlocked almost five million products, making it one of the UK’s largest collaborative product donation initiatives.
In Kind Direct chief executive Michael Gidney said cutting back on hygiene essentials could be “one of the first signs someone is experiencing financial stress”.
“Long before people miss meals or fall behind on rent, they are quietly making compromises to stay clean,” he said.
“We know that every product that reaches someone in need is a lifeline. But this remains an issue that no single charity or brand can solve alone. It requires true cross-collaboration from charities, retailers and brands who are committed to making a difference in people’s lives.”
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